


For The Best

by Anonywuff



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, Comfort, Cuddling, Daddy Dean, De-Aged Original Character, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hunting gone wrong, Lots of bad words, M/M, Non-Sexual Castiel/Dean Winchester, Non-sexual, cursing, papa cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-03-16 18:45:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 37,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3498962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonywuff/pseuds/Anonywuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During a run in with a powerful demonic entity, Elliot is hit with magicks that completely alters his reality. Why's he in a crib? And who the hell are the two weirdos calling themselves "daddy" and "papa"? He has 72 hours to undo what's been done, or he can say goodbye to his old life-- forever... and they aren't making it easy for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> I have a thing for ageplay/infantilism/age regression... so when this idea came up, I had to go with it. Besides, who doesn't love Daddy Dean and Papa Cas?
> 
> Information on Elliot can be found here ; https://charahub.com/character/346067/Elliot-Joshua-Kennedy

It was almost time. The moon was rising, everything dark, silent, and there he stood, the creature I'd been stalking for the better part of the week. He couldn't see me. He had no idea I was there, atop a large metal storage container, hiding in the shadows. _Perfect._ Everything I needed was set in place and all I had to do was wait for him to walk right into position. Three feet to the left, four down... so close, so very, very close... I clenched the silver dagger in my fist, taking in a long, slow breath. _Three... two... **now!**_

Kicking off with as much force as I could, I shot out of my hiding spot, slamming into the cloaked creature's back, forcing it to the ground face first. The creature snarled, a deep, inhuman noise and I pressed my blade to his back, behind his heart. It was strong though, faster than the last ones, and I was flung off and across the floor, sliding painfully against the concrete. “Foolish human.” It's voice was smooth, low, and as it spoke, it's voice was full of pure, raw fury. “You dare approach me...”

I was on my feet again quickly, staring it down, dagger still in my hand, the blade glinting in the moonlight that shined through the broken windows. “How 'bout we get this over with?” The creature took a single step forward--- I held my ground, waiting. “Shoulda known someone'd be trackin' ya. You ain't exactly subtle, leavin' a trail of bodies for me...”

“Hunters are of no threat to me. You cannot stop me, us. You cannot stop the inevitable.” I couldn't stop the shiver that ran down my spine, his tone alone causing my heart rate to shoot up. There was something wrong here, very wrong. _This isn't gonna end well... ___

But it was too late to back down. As it stepped forward once again, I lunged, failing in my strike as it easily side stepped me, and as I swung my arm around to try once more, it grabbed my. _Shit!_ My forearm was twisted painfully, forcing me to let go of my weapon. The dagger fell to the ground with a clang that echoed around us and I was tossed to the side, slamming into one of the storage containers.

As quickly as I was able, I lunged again, though just as before, it was ready, snatching one wrist in it's ice cold hands, and as I swung a fist with my other, it was grabbed as well. The s-o-b had one hell of a grip an--- oh fucking hell shit, it was leaning towards me! “ **You will--** ” There was no way in hell I was letting that fucker finish, choosing then to slam my head into his own, which in retrospect, was not the best of ideas.  
  
I was released, though stumbled back, my vision spotted with darkness. The creature's head was damn near as hard as my own. I was dizzy, a groan passing through my lips as I pressed a palm to my forehead. _Blood._ Fucking great.

“You **insolent brat!** ” With a ferocity I'd yet to see from any of the creatures, it fucking **roared** and as my vision cleared, I bit back a grin. It's nose was smashed, definitely broken, and blood was pouring down it's face, dark globs of red splashing on the concrete. “I was not intending to do you harm... simply keep you out of my way...” it spoke with a low growl. Oh hell, it was pissed.

Anger radiated off of it in waves, the temperature around us rising rapidly. “C'mon now, I'm a hunter. Only thing you coulda done to keep me off your case **is** kill me.. and I have no intention of dyin' anytime soon.” That time, I did grin, gaze momentarily flashing down to my dagger. “I mean, you can try, but it won't end well for you.” I dove for the weapon, snatching it off the ground as I rolled around the creature, jumping to my feet.

The dagger pierced through it's skin, but it jerked away, shoving my off before I could finish the killing blow. “Dammit, you sonuva bitch, **stay still!** ”

I fucked up. I didn't understand how, but I knew at that moment, as my eyes locked with the glowing purple ones of the creature before me, that I had seriously fucked up.

“You are nothing more than a frightened child.” Frozen. I was frozen. I couldn't tear away from it's gaze, unable to move, unable to escape. “You fight me with such ferocity... so determined to **win** , yet the fear running through you... it is **intoxicating.** ” _This is it. This is where it ends._ I'd made mistakes before, but never like this. “Do not worry, young hunter... I still do not intend to kill you...” the creature purred, it's voice suddenly calm.

Yeah, not very comforting.

It stepped closer, raising an arm to me. I started to shake, an involuntary response to overwhelming fear, a response that had never before showed itself during a hunt. “Ahhh...” For the first time since I began tracking it, it smiled. A wide grin, showing off rows of white, razor sharp teeth. “Let us send you back... back to the very beginning...” Wait-- what-- what the everlasting hell was this fucker going to do to me?! “Good luck, **hunter.** You will need it.”

It's hand began to glow, that same bright purple as it's eyes, magick swirling around in it's palm, sparking, shining as it was pressed to my forehead. It trailed like static, trailing over my head, crackling with energy, with **power**. There were words being spoken in a language I didn't recognize, soft, almost like a whisper.

Then came the pain. Sudden, sharp, burning pain, starting in my head and trailing down my body through every vein, every nerve-- it felt like I was on fire, everything hot –unbearably hot. I couldn't move. I could barely breathe and the only sound I managed to make was an ear piercing scream of absolute agony.

And then, it was over-- I was on the ground, my screams silenced. My body still burned, ached, like it was on fire, though the energy causing the reaction was no longer being pumped through me. Though I was free, I didn't dare to move for fear of it starting up again.

Whatever that sonuva bitch did to me, it better have fucked me up damn good, because if I ever got up, I was going on a rampage.

Something... something touched me, something cold, on my head and I screamed because it fucking **hurt** , sending a fresh wave of pain through me. I tried to move, roll away, curl up into a ball, **anything** to get me away from that creature, from it's icy hands. I almost, almost managed the fetal position before it touched me again, not at all deterred by my screams, and I went rigid as one last jolt of pain shot through my entire being, from my fucking toes all the way up to my head, before it stopped and everything went black.

_”Perhaps one day you will thank me for this **gift**...”_

__


	2. Playing It Cool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lotsa cursin' here. Ell's got a hell of a potty mouth, haha. It fizzles out over time.

_God... fuck that was a hell of a fight... sonuva bitch got the best of me... that hasn't happened in a while..._ It definitely wasn't a situation I ever wanted to repeat, especially not anytime soon. Shit, as soon as I had a cup of coffee, I'd have to fix up the entry in my database... Warning: Do not approach alone! You **will** get your ass handed to you. 

Ugh.. _Wait.. I don't... I don't remember... what the hell happened after that?.. How'd I even get away?_ I guess it didn't really matter, I mean-- I was alive! And y'know, not in any danger of dying... or at least I hoped not. Other than my head throbbing like all hell, I actually felt pretty good. Hungry, maybe... but good.

Deciding that I should probably get up, I let out a yawn, my mouth opening wide as I stretched out like a cat, a content shiver running down my spine. _I should have some frozen waffles left... maybe peanut butter too... ain't been shoppin' since I got here.._ Shopping for groceries was usually reserved for after the hunt, before I booked it. Get what I'd need and get the hell out of town before something jumped on my ass looking for revenge. I mean, I tried to always clean up after myself, but seein' as I got the shit knocked outta me, didn't really have time to do that, and I wasn't going back to the warehouse, not without Star.

 _Wait... what the.._ I had passed out. I had hit the ground... and what I was on sure as fuck didn't feel like that concrete floor... _Doesn't feel like the bed at the motel either... Shit. Where am I?_

Okay, just breathe, focus. You have to stay focused, Elliot. Just stay still, stay quiet. **Listen.** _Okay, okay... I don't hear beeping.. no monitors, no machines... so that rules out the hospital._ Thankfully. Last time I woke up in the hospital, I was surrounded by cops... _I don't hear **anything** though, not even footsteps.. _ Oh hell, maybe I actually was dead.

No, wait, can't feel pain when you're dead, and my head was definitely hurtin'. Maybe someone saved my sorry ass and brought me to their place? Made sense enough. Gotta say, though, wherever I was, it smelled a hell of a lot better than my motel did.

With a light shrug, I pushed myself up into a sitting position, blanket falling into my lap. As I yawned again, I scratched my chee-- _Smooth._ Weird. Hadn't shaved for quite a few days now... damn well shouldn't be smooth. Hell, I couldn't remember the last time my face was smooth. Pre-puberty?

...Bars. My eyes opened and I saw... bars. _Am I in jail?_ No... no there's no reason why I'd be in jail. Not as far as I knew anyway. That and, well, the bars were a light brown colour, obviously wood, and smooth... There was no top to my 'prison', though above me, a few feet hung a--- what the hell was that? A.. what was it called... a... y'know, those animals on a string? They hang in a circle and play music for babies? A mobile! Yeah, that thing, was above me, with little dinosaurs on it.

Hold up.

It's a crib. I'm in a crib.

For the love of all that is good, I am in. A. Fucking. Crib.

I'm dreaming. That's it. I'm dreaming. There is absolutely no other way that this is possible. Maybe-- maybe that creature-monster whatever was a djinn? Dream like comatose state, based off--- whatever the hell they based their worlds off of. Which meant that I could escape! All I had to do was-- well, shit, I don't actually fucking know. _Not that it was a djinn. Djinn look nothing like that... I don't know what the hell these things are._

_Don't go in alone, he said. You don't know what they are, he said. Wait for Star, he said. You're gonna get yourself killed! Stupid old bastard just hadda be right._

Doesn't matter. Moving on. Can't dwell, right? Gotta push forward. First step to this was gettin' outta my wooden prison because I couldn't do anything from where I was. Second step was to find a mirror because I had a **really** bad feeling and I needed to figure out exactly what I was dealing with before making any solid plans. _Just gotta stay calm. Take a deep breath and focus. How do I get out of here..._

These things had a latch, right? Somewhere... though I didn't know where it would be and if it's a **real** crib, there's no way in hell I'd be able to reach it. They were designed so kids couldn't bust out whenever they wanted.

Taking a quick look around, I huffed angrily at the lack of possible tools. The only things in the prison with me were a pillow and a... fleece? Blanket. Something soft, I don't know.

…

Blanket... huh. _Idea!_ I grabbed the bars of the prison to pull myself to my feet, first off, my new... height throwing me off. My entire body was throwing me off, honestly. I didn't have the muscle that I'd built up over the years, and just standing took far more energy than it ever should have... Continuing on, I grabbed the blanket, careful to keep myself steady –one hand on the bars--.

From what I could see, there wasn't anything on the floor in front of, or directly around me, and a quick glance to the left showed that the door wasn't completely shut –a sliver of light shining into the otherwise dark room. If I could get down and out, I'd be free, but before then, I'd have to be careful. The prison was pretty high up, and a fall could do some serious damage.

Taking another deep breath, I twisted the blanket together, making it thin out, sort of like a rope, which was a **lot** harder than I thought it was going to be because the damn thing was really, really soft and smooth, the material wanting to slide around and not work with me. I managed though, and tied one end in a loop, as tight as I could get it. _Good. Should work._

Second step? Toss the loop up and over the edge, and pull it back underneath the top railing, between two of the bars. It was a short blanket, barely long enough, but it worked, and I slipped the other end through the loop and pulled tightening it over the rail. Got it.

I gave it a nice hard tug, smirking as I determined it to be safe. Grabbing hold with both hands, I started pulling myself up, feet against the bars to give me leverage. It was a slow climb as I inched my way up, difficult. My movements were shaky and I felt heavy... _Closer.. just.. a bit..._ I reached for the top rail, holding onto my makeshift rope with one hand, my body visibly shaking. _Al—most--- FUCK--!_

Terror ran through my body as the loop undid itself, releasing from the railing and sending me back down. I landed hard on my butt, tumbling back, which caused my already aching head to slam into the back bars with a loud **thunk.**

I flinched hard, wrapping my hands as best I could over the newly forming bump. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes and before I could even think to stop myself, I was crying and not the silent with tears running down my face crying. I'm talking full on wailing becauase _goddamnit that HURTS_ and my emotions were explosive, out of my control and I hated myself for every second that passed that I couldn't fucking stop, couldn't shut the hell up because someone was definitely going to hear me and I'd be screwed.

So worried about trying to quiet down, sobbing loudly as I rubbed my head which was throbbing worse, stinging, I didn't hear them. Didn't notice them coming. Footsteps, thudding across hardwood. The door opened and the lights flipped on and I knew then that my plan was foiled (because, y'know, railing my head against wood sure didn't stop me). I was discovered and now I was going to die. I was small, weak, balling my eyes out over a knock to the head-- pathetic. I was pathetic.

My screams intensified to the point where it was just painful –both for my throat and my ears-- as someone's hands wrapped around me, lifting me into the air. _I'm a hunter, goddammit! I sure as hell ain't goin' out without a fight!_ And fight I did, squirming and flailing-- doing everything within my power to get whoever had me to let the fuck go, but it didn't work.

If I'm going to be honest, I hadn't really expected it to.

So I waited. Waited for the inevitable agonizing pain as I was ripped to pieces, eviscerated, decapitated, eaten, or **something**... but it didn't come. No... Instead, I came in contact with something solid, something... warm. It still made my heart jump into my throat, panic rising, bringing along gut-wrenching fear... but nothing happened. Nothing I was expecting anyway.

“Shh...” A voice, not one I knew, had ever heard before... deep.. calm.. “Shh, baby boy. You're alright.” Soothing.. it was... soothing.. but it shouldn't be! I didn't know this voice-- I was being held by a man, and not any man that I knew. (Not that it being someone I knew would have made this situation **any** better.)

The warmth of his arms and chest, along with the soft, gentle tone of his voice and his large hand rubbing my back... it was calming me, and while against my better judgment, I didn't fight it. It.. it felt nice.. and I **needed** to be calm, to have my wits about me so I could properly assess the situation and figure out where I was going to go from.. wherever it is that I was. “That's my boy.”

Sniffling, my screeches reduced to soft hiccups, I wiped off my face with my arm –gross, but whatever--, I took the chance to look around the room, over his shoulder. Now that it was lit up, I could make out exactly what it was and while I should have been expecting it -having woken up in a crib-, it still surprised me when I took it all in.

A nursery. An actual nursery, decorated in soft blues, yellows, and grays... a very mellow, calm selection. There was -from what I could see- a changing table, a four drawer dresser... the crib, obviously, and a box, large and rectangular with no label or sign on it. _Weapon's chest? No, probably not, seeing as, y'know, **nursery.**_

I let out a soft noise of surprise as I was moved, more into the arms of my captor, allowing me to see him in full. The first thing I noticed was a pair of bright, almost glowing green eyes –beautiful--.. they were atop a soft, happy smile, directed.. at me? “Did you have a bad dream, little guy?” Bad dream? No-- I..

My hand went to the back of my head and I winced as I grazed the bump. It was small, but it still hurt. “Hit your head?” I nodded. “Least I know what that thump was.” The man followed my hand, though just barely passed a finger over it so it wouldn't hurt. “Let's get you changed and get that checked out.” I.. didn't know what he meant by changed, but I'd like confirmation that I didn't have a concussion, that's for sure.

He reached over onto the dresser, grabbing something I hadn't noticed before –a sort of white walkie talkie looking thing. Baby monitor? “Hey, babe. Can you bring me a small ice pack?” _Babe?_ His girlfriend or something probably. Guy looks like that? No way in hell's he single.

Also, changed, in this case... meant a diaper change, which I didn't actually notice until he tugged off the pair of pants I was wearing. Not gonna lie, either, I flipped my shit. Didn't actually start screaming again, but I fought tooth and nail, kicking and actually trying to bite him. (Thankfully, I still had teeth.) “You really don't want to be changed.” And he laughed. He. Fucking. **Laughed.** “You don't want to get sick, do you?” Sick? What's he mean 'sick'? How am I gonna get sick?

“Feisty this morning, huh?” 'Babe' has arrive-- oh, you've gotta be kidding me. It's a **GUY?!** Great. Just.... just great. I'm being held captive by a couple of fruitcakes. Icing on the damn cake that is.

“Yeah, managed to smack his head on the crib, too.”

The new guys face contorted into something akin to... concern? I guess, and fear as he rushed to my side, carefully lifting my head to examine my injury. “Oh, baby..” I felt his fingers graze the bump softly before he leaned down, planting a soft kiss on it before lying me back down.

“He's alright, Cas. Just sore. Kid's got a hard head.” Green-eyes grinned. _No shit, sherlock._ The new guy—Cas, placed something cool, not cold, just... cool, and kinda soft on the back of my head, over the bump. It was uncomfortable at first... but damn it helped, and it would keep the swelling down, so the bump may not even stay! It still throbbed, though it was dulling fast, and the sting? Gone. “Seein' as he fought like hell to get out of being changed, I think he's alright.”

“I'll keep a close eye on him just in case..” Man, I've been slammed head first into solid steel, concrete, glass, and numerous other things. Bit of a fall into some crappy wood isn't going to kill me. “Poor EJ..” EJ, huh? No one called me that... It was always Elliot or Ell. “How do you think he managed to hit his head?”

“Probably tripped over the blanket.” Something like that... ahem. “You wanna take him to the kitchen? I gotta get ready for work.”

“Of course.” They shared a kiss -blegh- (not gonna lie, I made a face at them), and Cas lifted me up, h-- _That sneaky bastard distracted me while green-eyes changed me!_ I attempted an angry growl, but it came out more of a weird gurgle, so far from intimidating that it couldn't even be considered pathetic. “Let's get you some breakfast.” Cas smiled down at me, “How does oatmeal sound?” I didn't return his smile, choosing to direct a glare -that was probably about as intimidating as my growl- up at him. “No? Hm... fruit? Maybe... bananas?” I didn't want food, damnit! I wanted freedom!

Which wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Bastard strapped me into a high chair. The buckles were secure, hard plastic, and not a mechanism that my tiny hands could properly grip, so when I tried to undo them and slip out? Didn't happen. A small plate in the shape of a dinosaur was put on the tray in front of me, and not long after, little chopped up bits of fruit -grapes and bananas, I think- was slid onto that. A sippy cup was placed beside the plate, though it was green so I couldn't tell what was inside.

 _Yeah, not falling for that. Definitely poisoned._ Cas took a seat in front of me and I never took my eyes off of him. He didn't **look** evil, and definitely didn't look like a monster, but he could be any number of things! Demon, vampire, werewolf, skinwalker, shapeshifter-- the list went on and on. “Don't you want to eat? You love fruit.”

That's true.. I do love fruit, but... I briefly glanced down at it, then shook my head. Not going for it. “No? Are you sure?” His tone was playful and I stared at him curiously. “If you don't hurry up, Daddy's gonna come down here and eat up all your fruits.” _Daddy? Yeah, okay, what the fuck is wrong with these people?_ “Won't you eat just one little bite? He stabbed a banana piece onto a little blue form and held it up to me. “Aaah--” Not happening, looney tunes. “Please?” He poked his bottom lip out, pouting, and I held back a snort of laughter. A grown man? Pouting? “One bite, baby? For me?” Man, he wasn't going to let up...

 _Fine. One bite. One and that's it. Piece that small won't be able to kill me._ Reluctantly, and only really because my stomach was starting to gurgle, I opened my mouth, taking the banana piece off of the form. It didn't taste off... nothing weird that I could discern... huh. Just a regular, perfectly ripe banana.

“That's Papa's good boy!” _Papa? Daddy and Papa. Okay, that does it. He's nuts. One hundred percent bat-shit nuts, livin' his life on the crazy train to looneyville._ “How about we eat a grape now?” Dude, no way. You said one bite. One. That's what you got, so you can just back the h--

Cue stomach betraying me with a growl that almost seemed to echo in the otherwise quiet kitchen. _Fucking shit damnit to hell!_ Fine. I'll eat the fruit. I'll eat the stupid banana and the stupid grapes and I'll drink what's in the damn cup. But that's it!

I'd be out of here before nightfall or so help me...

 

ooOoo

 

So, that 'escape' idea? Not anywhere **near** as easy as I desperately hoped it would be. Dean – as Cas had called him- left for work right as I was finishing up breakfast, after a kiss on the forehead -ugh- and a hell of a hug, leaving me alone with Cas. So, Dean and Cas. Not much information, but it was still something. At least now I had a very, **very** general idea of the type of people I'm dealing with (plus, names? Can look 'em up later and see who they **really** are.)

Now, it's been a few hours since breakfast, so it was... sometime around... ten? Maybe eleven? I really didn't know. (These guys don't seem to own any fucking **clocks.** ) Anyway, it was later in the morning and I was not in a different type of... cage. Well, sort of cage. It was a playpen, in the corner of the room. The door to it was left open and I was actually on the floor. Cas was seated on the sofa not ten feet from me, and though he was concentrating on a book, he would periodically glance over to me, especially if I made some kind of noise... so there was no way I was making it past him.

So, for now, I was stuck, though it wasn't **too** bad... I was sitting atop a pillow, so I was comfortable, and though I had no real interest in playing with the multitude of toys that were spread around me, they did provide some amusement as I thoroughly examined each and every one of them to see if any would be of use in my plan. “Papa's going to be right back, okay, EJ?” With curious eyes, I looked over to Cas. “You stay put.” He gave me a smile which I happily returned. _This is just the opportunity I was waiting for!_

I watched closely as he stood, walking off down the hall. I got up and followed, just to where I could see down the hall. He was in the bathroom-- I didn't have much time.

I knew from a glance that I wouldn't be able to reach the front doorknob, and from my earlier observation, all of the cabinets in the kitchen had plastic 'kid proof' locks on them... so I took off down the hall as well, though turned off in the room I had woken up in- the nursery. Holding my breath, I pushed up the lid on the chest that was in the corner-- toys. Of course it was fucking toys!

With a growl of annoyance, I went for the closet next-- it wasn't shut. Clothes. That was it. Clothes and folded up blankets. Even when I stepped back to look up at the shelves, it was still more cloth items—not even a box. Damnit.

The dresser then? More clothes, as well as diapers and baby powder.. (Though.. I uh.. couldn't reach more than the bottom two drawers..) and there wasn't anything under the crib or within reach on the changing table that could be useful. Didn't stop me from shoving things around, emptying the drawers and toy chest, and clearing off the shelf that I could reach. The room looked like a damn tornado had run through it.

Frustrated, I snatched up the closest thing to me—an article of clothing that had been tossed about, and threw it angrily at the wall. Didn't even make a light thump. _Stupid, useless room, stupid useless body!_ Which, I hadn't been able to look into a mirror yet either because there wasn't one at my height!

“There you are, baby.” Cas sounded... exasperated, though I looked up at him, anger clearly written on my face. I was fucking pissed. “You scared me half to death. I thought you were going to stay in the playpen..” Uh.. er... Okay, anger kinda fading because he was not a happy camper. “Look at the mess you've mad..” Though, instead of getting mad and yelling, he just sighed, shaking his head. “Did you find what you were looking for at least?” I shook my head. “How aboooout... you help Papa pick up the mess and he'll help you look?”

That... that could actually work. He didn't have to know what I was looking for, but he'd be able to reach and open doors and cabinets that I couldn't! With a nod, I started grabbing at the clothes that I'd tossed around. I couldn't hold everything, and trust me, I tried, but it did take only a few trips, my arms full of things, to get them picked up. Cas waited by the dresser, and would take the items, fold them up, and put them back in the drawer, along with the diapers. The toys were a lot easier, as Cas only had to hold open the chest so I could drop them back in.

“That's my good boy.” Cas scooped me up into his arms and kissed my forehead, causing me to squirm. “Now, what is it you're looking for?” I had a feeling he wasn't actually asking me, so I just looked up at him, waiting. “Since it's not in here, maybe it's in... the living room?” No! I shook my head. There wasn't anything there, I knew that much. The room was open and there wasn't anywhere they could be hiding anything. “Maybe in Papa and Daddy's room?” Yeah! It made sense, thinking about it. Where else to hide my stuff, or any possible weapons.

“Ooo, I think I know what you want.” He smiled. _Shit._ No. Wait. Wait up. There's no way he could know what I was looking for. I look like a kid, so he probably thinks I'm looking for a toy or something. Either way, I let him carry me down the hall to his own bedroom. This could still prove useful...

He sat me down on the bed... which was ridiculously huge, and I stood up so I could look around. Their room was simple, decorated with basic furniture (bed, dressers, night stands..), but their were a few paintings on the walls. The artwork was... strange, not a style I had ever seen before, and as I stared, I could swear I saw the characters in the image move. What the fu--

“Here we go~!” Blinking, I turned my attention back to Cas, staring up at him with confusion. With a wide smile he held up a stuffed dog. It was baby blue with brown ears and built like a teddy bear, floppy with long arms and legs. “You fell asleep with us last night and poor Kippy got lost in the sheets.” _Kippy? Last night? This guy is off his ro...cke..r.._

Something in my mind, a switch, flipped. It was a sudden, almost unnoticeable action, but it was there and... as I stared at the dog.. I wanted it. I wanted the stupid little stuffed dog. I wanted to hug it and take it back with me to the living room and play with it.. “Ippy!” It came out before I could even think to stop it and I was holding my arms out, a pout on my face as I grabbed for the stuffed animal.

“That's right! Kippy missed you bunches and bunches, too.” Cas held onto the dog, but lifted me up once more. “Can Kippy have a big hug? He really needs one.”

“Ye!” Snatching the dog from him, I squeezed it to myself, a strange warmth flowing through me as I rubbed my face against it's soft fur, breathing in it's scent. It was made out of a similar material to the blanket in the crib... so soft... so.. familiar..

“Papa's sorry he forgot about Kippy.” Cas looked sad, worried maybe?

Was I supposed to be mad at him or something? It's not like it was his fault that Kippy had gotten lost in the sheets. It was a big bed! “Is okee.” I reached up and patted his cheek, and he kissed my hand. “Nah mahd.” And I really wasn't. No reason for me to bed. He hadn't taken Kippy away. Hell, he'd actually given him back and he wasn't dirty or hurt or anything!

“That makes me happy. I love you so much, EJ. I don't know what I would do if you were mad at me.” He planted a kiss on my head, which then started to throb once more. _L-Love..? aghh..!_ Everything was foggy, swirling around in my head-- I couldn't think, couldn't focus-- and then it stopped and everything snapped back into place. Shaking my head, I blinked, looking up at Cas, then around us –we were in the hallway now-- and then down at the weird little stuffed dog. _What the hell was that?_

As we got back to the living room, I was placed into the playpen again. “Hm.. you getting hungry, baby boy?” Was it lunch time already? Man, time really flew when you were playi-- no, not playing. Definitely not playing. Planning, plotting, searching.

I looked up at Cas and... nodded. While I didn't really feel hungry, I kinda wanted food. May as well take advantage of the free meals while I could, after all. After I got back to work, it'd be gas station food for the foreseeable future. “I know just what to make!” Not wanting me to wander off and make a mess again, he closed the door to the playpen, locking me in. “Don't need you getting into more trouble while I'm gone.” He winked at me with a smile, heading off into the kitchen.

Alone, annoyed, I tossed the stuffed dog off against the side of the pen, huffing. _How dare he trap me here!_ I stared at the playpen bars.. y'know.. they weren't quite as tall as the crib bars, being about even with my head... maybe...

I grinned. I couldn't help it, I grinned, shuffling around to gather up everything that was in the pen with me. I stacked the pillow and blanket first, then began piling toys on top of that – blocks, big plastic trucks, dinosaurs--. It wasn't the most secure tower, but so long as I hurried up and over, I should be able to escape without smacking my head into something again. Worth a shot, right?

I'm counting it as the 'miracle of the week' that I did not actually fall and hit my head again. With great fucking trouble, I managed to get over the top of the bars, landing with a soft thump as my butt hit the floor. _Sweet, sweet freedom._ First, I'd be going back into Cas's room. Maybe he'd left the door open...

Why was I hesitating? Cas wouldn't be in the kitchen forever-- I needed to get moving!

Kippy... my eyes drifted to the damnnable dog, it's solid black eyes staring back at me. Damnit. Reaching through the bars, I snatched it up and pulled it through, keeping one hand wrapped around it's paw as I headed to the hallway. A quick glance into the kitchen showed Cas was still there, humming as he worked on whatever the hell he was intending to cook, meaning he'd be easy enough to sneak by. _Good._

Unfortunately for me, their bedroom door **was** shut now, as well as the one leading to my-- the nursery. The. Nursery. That left another door that was shut, leading to hell knows what, and the bathroom, which, one look told me it wouldn't be of use. The only cabinets were high up, above the toilet and sink.

They really, really weren't making this easy for me.

“How in the world did you get out of there.” _Busted._ Cas was shaking his head, smiling still as he looked down at me, now standing confused and frustrated in the living room. With a glance over at the playpen, he saw the pile of objects, only halfway standing now, and laughed. “Dean's going to love this. His little dinosaur is turning out to be a monkey.”

Dinosaur, huh? 'Daddy's little dinosaur'... Hah.

“How about some cartoons then, huh?” Something to keep my attention of course, not that it would work, but hey, if it made him feel better... “Let's see... we've got... Dora.” Uh, no. Definitely no. The art style is creepy and I didn't care for spanish. “Spongebob.” That would be another no. His voice was irritating. “My Little Pony.” And a **hell no.** That's a show for little girls! “Here we go. Scooby Doo.” Scooby Doo? Damn, talk about old. I remember seein' that when I was actually a kid! Neat.

Okay, so... maybe it worked. Just a little.

Or maybe a lot, because the next thing I knew, there was a plate of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets in front go me and a sippy cup full of something that turned out to be sweet and cherry flavoured. I blinked, shaking my head as I looked down at the food, then up at Cas. Somehow, I wasn't surprised by what he'd chosen... and hey, free food, like I'd said.

As I picked one up, he watched me, which was kinda weird, but whatever. The guy was weird. Figured that one out already. With one bite, I took off a dinosaur's head, and Cas ruffled my hear.

My eyes kept drifting to the television, even as I ate, though I did manage to pry my attention away from it long enough to pat the floor next to me while looking up at my 'babysitter'. With a huge grin –he really likes to smile..--, he sat down next to me, then pulled me into his lap.

“Roar roar.” Cas growled playfully as he picked up a nugget, making it walk across the plate. “Grrr!” A giggle escaped me as he did that and I took another bite of the one in my hand. “Roar!” More giggles came as he grabbed another nugget and they began fighting over the territory that was my plate. “Grrr, nom nom nom!” The right nugget took down the left in one swift tackle and I clapped as it danced in victory.

_Cut it out, man! You're twenty-six, not two!_

_**There is nothing wrong with playing the part though, at least until you escape... what's the worst than can happen...?** _

The now-dead loser nugget was held up for me to take, and I did... but then I leaned my head back to look up at Cas, offering it to him. “For me?” I nodded, earning myself another kiss on the head. “That's your lunch, sweetheart. Papa had his already.” My brow creased in confusion. _When'd he have time to eat? I wasn't into the television for that long... was I?_ Still, I waved it at him, silently telling him to take it anyway. “Alright, alright. Just one bite though.” I smiled as he bit off the nugget's bottom half, though didn't take the rest, which I continued to hold out. “Elliot...”

“Pease?” Hey, if I'm tiny and adorable –which, I'm I'm tiny, I **know** I'm adorable--, might as well use it to my advantage.

With a sigh, he shook his head, smiling softly. “Okay, okay, you win.” He took the rest of the nugget, eating it while I watched. Hah, win for me. “You're too cute for your own good, mister.” Haha! Damn right. “You have to eat all the others though.” There were only three left. I could do that. “Then it'll be nap time.” Nap? I didn't need a nap! I wasn't tired at all--... yeah, okay, shut up. Just a little tired. But hey, all that running around and digging about sucked me dry! _It's this stupid tiny body._ “I know you don't like nap time, but if you're good for me, we can go play outside when you wake up.”

Outside? Yes! Definitely yes! New plan in action! I could go along with this. A nap would recharge my batteries, after all, meaning I'd be ready for 'Elliot's Escape Attempts Round 2' when I got up.

 

ooOoo

 

 _Mmnn.. that was a weird dream... must've smacked my head pretty hard on that concrete.._ My hand went to the back of my head, feeling for any sign of injury. Yep, there was a bump. It didn't hurt though, which was... unexpected, but awesome. Didn't even have a headache!

 _The hell's in my mouth?_ The first thing I noticed, of course. It was... rubbery? Kinda squishy, pliable, and it tasted like... latex? Was that latex? Why the hell would there be-- Shit. My eyes opened and I came face to face with that goddamn stuffed **dog.** Figures. Angrily, I pushed myself up into a sitting position and spat out whatever the hell was in my mouth, glaring down at it as it plopped on the mattress. It was a pacifier, of course.

“Did you have a good nap, sweetheart.” Cas had entered and was looking down at me. My anger immediately faded and I nodded, smiling. “Are you ready to go play outside?”

“Ye!” I stood and stuck my arms out to him, making grabby hands. I wanted out of the crib **now** and I wasn't about to risk my head trying to get out myself again. “Ouside!” Wait, wait, gotta work this. Can't be a little bastard about it or he could change his mind. “Pease ouside?” _There we go, Elliot. Play nice and cute and he'll be falling over himself to give you what you want._

As expected, he lifted me with a grin. “Let's get you changed and into some play clothes, hm?” Probably a good idea. The uh... snap shirt, onesie, I was in probably wouldn't work too well. I needed something more durable to at least protect my legs. Jeans, preferably, but I'd take what I could get.

Diaper change? Took all of my self control to stay as still as possible and let him do what needed to be done. It was embarrassing and I hated that fact that I needed to be changed at all, but hey, kid body, kid problems, right? It's just one more small bump in the road. Kinda worth it to, because I was put into a little pair of overalls and tennis shoes after and though I looked ridiculous (couldn't remember the last time I wore either, and the onesie being light blue with “daddy's little monster' written on it really didn't help, it would work. I'd have to be careful of my arms, but other than that I was good to go.

Outside, though! We were outside! There weren't any clouds in the sky and it was warm, but not hot. It was a really nice day, relaxing. “Ooo.” The yard was large, very... very large, though I guess it was only like that due to **my** size, and there was a small playground sitting in the middle, just off the edge of the patio, which was built along the side of the house. It was brightly coloured with blue, red, and yellow, and there was a swingset and slide, stuff to climb on and a little 'treehouse'. _Wow.._ Yeah, I was pretty amazed, but hey, could you blame me?

As the initial 'awe' wore off though, I noticed, unfortunately that the entire yard was fenced in, and not a metal chicken wire fence that you could climb and hop over. No, it was a solid wooden fence, as tall as Cas, if not a little taller, and there wasn't a gate anywhere. The only way to get out of the yard was to go back into the house. Just freaking wonderful.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I looked back to the house... _Maybe I can convince him to bring me back in. I can try and... I.. I have no idea..._ I was stuck. That was it. I was stuck. I couldn't reach the doorknobs, and even if I managed to reach the one at the front door, it was unlikely that I could actually open it, the back yard was sealed tight and there was no way in hell I could go out of a window. I had no idea what to do.

 _It's only been a few hours, Ell. You've got plenty of time to figure this out. Just take a deep breath and focus._ “What's wrong, baby?” Concern was clear on Cas's face, but I couldn't exactly tell him what's wrong. Other than my butchered speech, I don't think 'I'm disappointed because I'm trapped here with you when I could be hunting down demons' would go over well. “Is it because Daddy's not here?” Confused (that seems to be happening a lot), I tilted my head, not sure why Dean's absence would be a problem.

That disorienting, foggy feeling hit me once again, though this time I was bombarded with – memories? No, not memories. They couldn't be... but scenes. Scenes of Dean and... was it me? It was hard to tell-- I could only see him, see our surroundings... We, they.. were playing here, right where we were. They were splashing in a small blow up pool on a bright day, hopping into mud puddles, playing in piles of raked leaves..

The images flashed by so quickly that I couldn't make out exact details, couldn't tell when they were happening, or what exactl-- _Aghh!_ I couldn't take it. It started to hurt-- I couldn't see, couldn't think.

Then it stopped. I shook my head and started squirming in Cas's arms. Those weren't **my** memories so they sure as hell didn't belong in **my** head! “Nnng!” With a soft laugh, Cas let me down and I scrambled away from him, dropping Kippy on the ground as I did, wanting to put as much distance between myself and him as possible. Being around this guy is screwing with my head.

**Whap!**

Just my luck that the second my feet touch the grass, I hit the ground. Uggh.. ow. I heard a loud gasp from Cas, and glanced back at him as I pushed myself back up. It was clear that he was trying his hardest to stay calm, though was on the verge of a major freak out. Man, I just fell. I'm not going to die or something. _I'm so damn little though. Poor guy probably thinks I will die if I keep smacking my head into things._

Holding back tears that I had only just noticed were forming, I kept on towards the playground. It didn't even really hurt that bad... just surprised me is all. Being closer to the ground had it's benefits, apparently. _Maybe when Da--_ I cut myself off, shaking my head. _Dean gets back, this guy'll calm the hell down. Doesn't he know just how resilient kids are?_

I had time to kill now, and hey, I'd never really gotten the chance to explore a playground before (I know it's not really a playground, but it's got stuff like one, so I'll call it what I want) and I'd never get the chance to do so again...

So I walked around the entire thing, examining it. From what I could tell, it was very well put together, made of solid wood and carefully painted. It was worn slightly, from the weather and general use, but still in great condition overall. _The more I think about this... the less sense it makes..._

Cas and Dean... both of them were acting like everything was perfectly normal. Like today was just another day in their lives, which from what I could tell, it was. There was a nursery set up and well stocked. A playpen and toys, plates and cups, a freaking playground. There was also that weird familiarity I felt when I held Kip-- that stupid stuffed dog... Something was really wrong here... “EJ?” I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up to see Cas kneeling by me. “You feeling okay, EJ?”

Huh? Why wouldn't I be feeling oka-- Ahh, I spaced out. Probably scared him a little. “Ye.” I offered a grin in the hopes of calming him, and it must have worked because he grinned back and picked me up. “Uh?” I was placed onto, or rather, **into** one of the swings, which was smaller and actually designed for babies-- so that someone my size wouldn't fall off or out. What was the point of this though? I didn't unders- _WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING!?_

I was moving, swinging, and I about flipped the fuck out because that was not something I had intended to do. One hand clenched the rope tightly, the other wrapped around Kippy's arm, and I let out a yell of surprise, earning laughter from Cas. “You're flying~!” _F-flying?! I'm not-- w-well..._ I guess.. it kinda was like flying, in a weird way.

My feet weren't on the ground and the wind was brushing against my face and tousling my hair as I went back and forth-- never too high though, for my own safety I guess. It was... fun.. It was really fun! Though I kept my hand wrapped tightly around the rope -last thing I needed was to actually go flying-, I let myself smile and laugh and for that short lived bit of time, I let myself be the kid that I appeared to be.

It also made Cas like.. really, REALLY happy, so... if me being silly can do that, it wasn't a bad thing, and it's not like anyone else, except maybe Dean, would ever find out.

Suddenly, or well, not suddenly really, but suddenly to me, the swinging came to a stop and I was lifted into the air, still giggling. “Behold, Simba!” Simba? Though I didn't understand the reference he was making, I still laughed. “Are you my little lion?” _'Daddy's dinosaur' and 'Papa's lion'? Man, these guys can't get any **more** weird... but, what the hell, why not? I can be a lion._

“Raaawwr!” My little, pathetic roar earned me snuggles and a mess of kisses all over my face as Cas laughed, though I wiped them off with an 'ick!'.

“You don't like Papa's kisses?” It was feigned hurt, accompanied by a pout, so I just smiled wider, shaking my head. “Are Papa's kisses icky?”

“Ye! Icky!” I placed a hand over his mouth. “Ick.”

“Muah!” A big kiss on my palm, causing me to retract my hand, making a face at him. “Well Papa thinks certain little boys are icky.” _Hey! I am not icky, thank you very much!_ “Buuut, he loves them anyway.” With a huff, I stuck my tongue out at him and started squirming again. “Okay, okay.”

Cas put me back down and I made my way to the slide, looking it up and down before turning back to the man, standing there with a hand on one hip, watching me... Holding back another huff, I walked back over to him and tugged on his pants leg as I headed once more to the slide, urging him to follow me. If I was going to.. play on this stuff, I'd need help, and thankfully, he was more than willing to give it.

 

ooOoo

 

We spent a **long** time outside, and I mean that. When Cas finally decided it was time to go in, the sun was **just** starting to set and I was an absolute mess. Covered in dirty, dust, and sweat, and I knew for a fact that I'd given Cas a run for his money, making him chase after me all around the yard. It was a duel game -look for holes and see how long I can go without being caught. He never seemed to get upset or irritated though. In fact, he actually looked to be enjoying it, like it was just a normal game.. which in his eyes, I guess it was.

All in all... not a bad day.

“Having fun without me, huh?” Cas's eyes lit up at the sound of that voice and he turned his head just in time to be met with a kiss. Dean was home and was way dirtier than I was-- covered in dirt, rust, and oil. He was in a pair of dark coveralls, splotched with black and rust coloured grime. “C'mere you.” Cas handed me over to Dean and he hugged my right, kissing my cheek. “Have you been a good boy for Papa today?”

Cas answered for me and I grinned at his response, “He's figured out how to climb out of the playpen.” Dean looked surprised, though it quickly turned to amusement, pride, as he shook his head, chuckling.

“Little troublemaker you are.” He ruffled my hair and it made me glad that I already needed a bath because whatever was on his hand was wiped off, onto my head.

“Other than his little escape act, he was wonderful.” Not counting my making a mess of the nursery, haha. I was too busy to be a little bastard though, so of course I was wonderful. “Did you pick up dinner?”

Dean grinned. “Sure did. It's in the kitchen. Me and EJ are gonna get cleaned up first though. I missed my little dinosaur.” Huh, so it really was a thing. I thought Cas was just being silly.

With a smile and another kiss, Cas spoke again, “He missed you too. Now, I'll go get things ready so don't take too long.” We followed Cas back into the house, though as Dean had said, we headed down the hall and through their bedroom, into the 'master bathroom', which was pretty damn impressive. Bathtub big enough for two people, a separate shower, two sinks, and a door into their closet! Geez.

“How's a bath with Daddy sound? Papa'll throw a fit if we take too long... and the food'll get cold.” He laughed, and I snickered. “Bubbles sound good?”

My eyes widened a little a the prospect of a bubble bath. I couldn't remember ever having taken one. Ever since I was little, it always had to be a quick in and out or a shower. (especially in motels, uuggh) “Ye!” That was all the encouragement Dean needed, and with a grin, he turned on the faucet.

With amazement clearly seen on my face, I watched as he poured a blue liquid into the clear water. It smelled like fruit and quickly turned into **mountains** of bubbles as the faucet churned the water. I reached for them, swatting at the pile I managed to reach with a giggle. Excited, I worked on getting myself undressed, which wasn't working out too bad, until I slipped on the overalls and landed on my butt.

It didn't really hurt, thanks to the poofy and -unfortunately, wet- diaper, but it still sucked, and I pouted. Dean had to help me get them the rest of the way off and they, along with my onesie, were tossed into a basket in the corner. When he reached for the diaper though... I was hesitant and he knew it, even before I stepped away from him. “C'mon, baby boy. You can't bathe in that. Remember what happened with the puddle?” Puddle? What puddle? What was he--

Just like with Cas when we were outside, I was hit with flashes of images in my head. It didn't hurt anywhere near as bad this time, and I managed to shake it off faster... but I did at least know what Dean was talking about now. Apparently diapers are super absorbent... so when I-- well... not me, but... you know, went puddle hopping, it swelled up and caused.. a bit of a duck walk, before it fell off. Cute from an outsider's perspective, I guess, but not so much fun for me.

So, I let him take it off and toss it into a bin near the sinks. “Nekky!” It came out, followed by a string of giggles, which caused Dean to start laughing as well, who was on his way to joining me of the land of no-pants. No reason to be ashamed, right? Kids bathe with their parents sometimes, and this was something like that, so it wasn't a problem, so long as I didn't think too much about it.

“Woosh!” Into the air I went, only to be lowered into the very warm, though not unpleasantly so, water. It was up to my chest, if I sat down, but the bubbles were up to my head! The first thought to pop into my head was to, guess what? Splash Dean. I did so with a grin, which he returned, pouring a handful of water onto my head. “Let me get you cleaned up and you can play with the bubbles, okay?”

Aaah, the bubbles were meant to be a distraction while **he** washed up, to keep me outta trouble. “Ye.” I grinned once more and plopped into the water. I could handle that.

  


ooOoo

 

“I was wondering when you two would come down. The food's getting cold.” Dean smiled innocently as he set me down in the high chair, clad in only a diaper, but before he could say anything back to Cas, I did, and though I spoke fast and most of the words I tried to say wound up butchered to hell, I'm sure he at least managed to catch some of them (probably nekky and bubbles, if nothing else) because as I continued, he smiled wider and wider, until finally he laughed aloud and pressed a kiss to my head.

Dinner turned out to be take-out Chinese, which I won't lie, was a little disappointing (What? So I hoped for a home cooked meal... woulda been a great ending to the day), but, it was pretty damn good. Definitely higher-end stuff. I was fed from various boxes, noodles and rice and bits of chicken. It didn't take long for me to get full, so I was given Kippy (Cas had taken him when I went with Dean) to play with while they finished their food.

After everything was picked up and I was put into a green onesie and a pair of pants with dinosaur feet, we went into the living room. Dean and Cas snuggled together on the soda, which consisted of Dean propped up, Cas lying aganst him, allowing me to be sprawled over his lap, Kippy in my arms.

The television was turned on, with another cartoon playing on the screen, though I didn't recognize this one. “You two have a good day?” Dean asked, though a quick glance up told me he was talking to Cas. Not feeling particularly needed, I tuned into what was on the television. Whatever it was, we'd started off in the middle of it, so I had no idea what was going on. Something about a spaceship and dogs...

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, cuddled together on the sofa, but the next thing I know, I'm being carried and everything around me is quiet. “Nn..” A soft groan of displeasure escaped me and I noticed that Kippy's ear was in my mouth, soaked from my having gnawed on it in my sleep. “Waah..”

“Shh, baby. I'm just putting you in your crib.” It was Dean's voice... soft and deep.. and I felt myself reaching out with the hand not wrapped around Kippy, not wanting him to let me go. “Goodnight, little guy. I love you.” A kiss was pressed to my forehead and a hand lightly touched my hair, before a blanket was pulled over me. Something was prodding my lips, and I let it in without complaint, sleep overcoming me once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this wound up a lot longer than I thought it would. I'm not sure if the next two will be quite as long. I went a little overboard.


	3. Not Quite Myself

_Well... I think I can count yesterday as an embarrassingly painful failure.._ My escape plans went straight to freaking hell, and all because I allowed myself to get distracted by playing and toys and-- and that stupid dog! I couldn't let it happen again. I had to stay focused, keep my attention on getting out and away from here. All I needed to do was ignore anything Cas and Dean tried to do, keep Kippy out of my sight, and fight tooth and nail against anything and everything they tried to do to keep me in the role of a kid! It'd be easy, so long as I stayed on track and periodically reminded myself of what I was trying to do. 

Keeping that plan in mind, the morning started off rough as hell for my unsuspecting captors. The first thing I did was throw Kippy out of the crib and at Dean. He caught the stuffed animal with ease, doing nothing more than staring at me, eyebrow raised. When he grabbed me, I squirmed, pushing against him, kicking my feet, doing my best to growl. It did nothing to deter him though, and I was placed onto the changing table, where Cas decided he'd take over -mumbling about how he has a higher success rate than Dean-.

The diaper was removed quickly, before I even had the chance to do anything, but when he tried to put another one on, I fought-- rolling onto my stomach to try and get away, twisting and turning my lower half so he couldn't catch me. Didn't work too well, and I was easily flipped onto my back. Kippy was waved in my face by Dean with a smile in an attempt at trying to distract me. _Not gonna work, buddy!_ With an angry huff, I snatched it away and tossed it across the room.

“Sweetheart, why are you so fussy this morning?” I shot a glare at Cas and threw my pacifier at him. Not expecting it, he blinked as it hit him in the forehead. _Direct hit!_ He didn't get upset though, simply shook his head, sighing. “Elliot...” With another huff, I continued my squirming, making the baby equivalent of angry noises. “You don't want to run around nekky all day, do you?”

At that, I ceased my antics, thinking over what he said... I **really** didn't want to stay naked all day. It would make things a **lot** more difficult... _Fine, you sneaky bastard. You win this round._ Dean laughed as I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest, signifying my 'defeat'. “Got a bitch face just like Sammy.” _Who?_

Cas reached over and swatted his arm. “No cursing in front of the baby.” Dean smiled wider, though stayed quiet, watching with amusement as Cas slipped on a fresh diaper. _Keep smiling, Dad-- Dean! You'll get yours!_

“Alright, give 'im here, Cas. I'll get him dressed.” _Sooner than I hoped, too._ I was lifted and passed over to Dean with ease, and Cas stepped back to watch what he knew was coming.

The outfit they intended for me to wear was already out, and I have to say, it wasn't a bad choice. A pair of jeans with an elastic waistband -durable and comfortable-, a tee shirt, green, with a dinosaur on the front and the words 'I'm a BIG deal' above it, and a pair of green socks. Like I said, not too bad, considering, but that didn't mean I was going to let him off easy. After witnessing what happened on the changing table, and not wanting to risk me actually rolling away and getting hurt, he sat down on the floor, setting me in front of him. I still had on my 'bitch face', arms crossed over my chest. I was ready to fight and he knew it.

The jeans were first, and I kept pulling my legs back, kicking them back off as soon as he'd start to get them on. Cas thought it was hilarious, though was trying to suppress his chuckling, and even I was amused by what I was doing. “Oh no you don't, you little monster.” Dean said as he tugged me back into place –I tried to make a break for it-, and I growled at him. “C'mon, kiddo, don't you wanna look cool for all the ladies at the supermarket?” _Supermarket. We're leaving the house? They must have been talking about it last night when I fell asleep..._

Either way though, not gonna work. I don't care about impressing anyone, especially not some supermarket moms. I'm stuck in the body of a little kid, what the hell's it matter if someone thinks I look 'cool'? “He's just determined to be a little troublemaker today.” Cas smiled, staring down at us as he leaned against the changing table.

“Tell you what, scamp.” Dean started, the gears in his head turning. I looked up at him, waiting to hear what he was thinking. “Let me get you dressed...” _Aah, bribery. This should be good._ “..and we'll let you pick out an extra special candy at the store.” _...Are you freaking serious? **That** is the best you've got? Candy? _

“No.” I shook my head, narrowing my eyes. I didn't want any freaking candy. There wasn't anything that I wanted that he **could** bribe me with. _Because I doubt my freedom is an option._

He wasn't done though, a grin spreading across his face. “How about we let you sleep in the big bed with his tonight?” Okay, maybe I was wrong. _That... could actually be useful... I could pretend to fall asleep early, then when they leave me in the bed, I can finally search their room!_

“Ye!” I nodded, accepting the trade. I could let them dress me in return for that, but only, and I mean this, only because it benefited **me.** I glanced over to Cas, who hadn't said anything about him using a bribe to get me to behave... and he still was smiling. So, I stuck my tongue at him, which earned nothing more than a laugh.

As soon as I was dressed, which I was actually a little thankful for because apparently, my room -and yes, after spending twenty four hours in this damnable role, I am considering it **MY** room-, is warmer than the rest of the house, which I noticed as Dean carried me to the kitchen. A small shiver ran through me as he set and strapped me into the high chair, and I found myself missing his warmth.

I shook it off, taking a deep breath. _Stay focused. You can do this._ It was a couple of minutes later that Dean and Cas sat down at the table, on either side of me, and a small plastic bowl was set on my tray along with a matching small, plastic spoon and a green sippy cup. All three were decorated with little dinosaurs. _Definitely have a theme here._ I took it as a sign that I would be allowed to feed myself today, which actually made me pretty happy, seeing as I was fed **twice** the day before... but despite that, I had no intention of cooperating.

In fact, I decided to pull a rather child-like move and scooped a big glob of oatmeal onto the spoon... only to fling it at the unsuspecting couple. It was fucking **hilarious** and I couldn't help but grin triumphantly at both the mess and the shocked looks on their faces. Cas easily wiped away the mess with his napkin, offering me a small smile. “You need to **eat** your food, baby.” Yeah... I probably did need to eat something, buuuuut, I didn't want to, so with my awesome skills, I flung another spoonful, this time landing a direct hit on Dean's cheek.

“Elliot.” Once more I aimed, but I didn't get to fire, Dean taking the spoon from me. I glared at him, grabbing for it with both hands, but he held it out of reach. “If you're going to make a mess, then **I'm** going to feed you.” He held up the spoon and I shook my head, turning away from him and refusing to open my mouth. “EJ...” _Nope. Not happening. You can take your oatmeal and shove it!_ “Please?”

“Maybe he's not hungry?” Cas offered, concern lacing his voice. Dean sighed, shaking his head. “I know, Dean, but it's possible He could not be feeling well... maybe he's getting sick?” _Me? Sick? Pfft. Never. I don't get sick. My immune system is awesome._ Just to check, Cas reached over, placing the back of his hand to my forehead, which I promptly swatted at. “Doesn't feel warm... You feeling okay, little guy?” _Of course I am!_ With a huff, I turned the other way, not wanting to look at him. “Oooh, I see.” Now he sounded amused. “You're just a grumpy baby this morning, aren't you?”

 _Grumpy? I'm not grumpy!_ Well... I wasn't, but to them, my stubbornness and attitude probably makes it look that way. “Just grumpy, huh?” _Yeah, sure, grumpy. If that's what you wanna call it._ With a laugh, Dean glanced up at Cas. “I think I know who might help with that...” Curious, I stared at him. We were the only ones in the house. Who the hell could he.. be..

As the realization hit me, it was too late to stop him. Cas was already out of the kitchen and headed down the hall to my room. I began to squirm once again, tugging at my restraints, wanting them off. “Papa's gonna be **right** back.” That really didn't make me feel better, and I struggled harder, tears building in the corners of my eyes. I wanted out of that chair **now** and I couldn't do it. Frustrated tears threatened to fall, and they didn't escape Dean's notice. “Elliot.” His voice was suddenly serious, full of concern. Hesitantly, I looked at him, sniffling.

As I met his eyes, he took in a deep breath and puffed out his cheeks, crossing his eyes like he was trying to look at his nose. _What.. what the hell is he doing..._ I stared at him, just stared, blinking, trying to figure out why he was doing that... but the longer I stared, the weirder he began to look, and it... it was funny. I couldn't help it -believe me, I tried-, I burst into giggles. They were soft at first, because I really was trying my damn hardest to keep them in, but they just kept coming. It was made worse as Dean heard and started making different weird, silly faces at me. The giggles turned into full blown laughter, and Dean grinned wide at his accomplishment, laughing as well.

Cas returned in the middle of this little scenario, and held Kippy out to me with a smile. “Looks like Daddy beat me to it, huh?” Nodding, I reached out and grabbed Kippy, not caring about what I'd said before. _I can still work without being a total dick to them. There's no reason to make them hate me before I leave, after all._

I clung to Kippy's softness, laughing my little butt off as Dean continued to make faces at me. Cas thought it was fucking adorable, and I could see from the corner of my eye that he was snapping pictures with his cell phone. _Whatever._ If he wanted to remember stupid stuff like this, more power to him. It would help them cope when I got out of here.

“Is Daddy being a silly butt?” He asked with a smile, pocketing his phone. I nodded, my laughter now soft giggles as I smiled. “Does that make our little EJ a happy baby?”

“Ye! Hah-pee, Pa--” I cut myself off before the word could come out entirely, covering my sudden stop with more giggles, but they heard. They **knew** and both were grinning wide. _Shit. Keep your wits about you, Ell. You can't afford to lose yourself._ “Uhhp!” I raised my arms, grabbing for Cas with my free hand, indicating that I still wanted out of the stupid high chair.

He didn't go for it though, instead looking over me into the bowl of food on my tray. “What about breakfast, EJ? You don't want to eat?” Hesitant, I looked down as well, into the bowl of now very cool oatmeal. Thanks to the laughing fit, which did have me in a significantly better mood, I realized I really was hungry. My stomach was starting to gurgle... Screw it, I wanted it, and I wasn't going to let good food go to waste.

As I opened my mouth, Dean fed me a spoonful, and I happily ate it. _Still awesome, even if it's cold._ Then again, it was strawberry flavoured and you can't go wrong with strawberries! “That's my boy.” Cas kissed my head before turning his attention do Dean. “The diaper bag is packed and ready to go.” _Diaper bag? Why would he need that?.. Oh, right. Supermarket._

Dean nodded to him. “List is on the counter by the stove. I called everyone when you were in the shower. Sam and Gabe are going to be here early-- they've got a few things to take care of in town. Bobby and Jody won't be here till after lunch.” I looked between Cas and Dean as I ate, confused as hell and... if I'm gonna be honest, a little worried. Who were they talking about? What were they planning... “Ellen, Jo, and Charlie will here around lunch.”

With a nod, Cas smiled. “That works out nicely. Sam and Gabriel can assist us in setting everything up.”

Okay, now I'm worried. They were planning something, and it sounded like something big. That's a heck of a lot of people -at least to me-, and they weren't giving me any sort of detail that would let me figure out what it was, which was suspicious as fuck. _This can't be good._

They... they aren't planning on getting rid of me, right? I mean, I know I've been a bit of a dick to them but they wouldn't--- Wait. Wait a second. Hold the fucking phone.

_Ugh, fuck. This is ridiculous. They aren't going to get rid of me. That wouldn't make any kind of sense. They acted like I was the best think since sliced bread, they **wouldn't** throw me out. _

_Not-- not that I'd care if they did. It'd just help me out. It would ensure my escape._

_**Keep telling yourself that.** _ I didn't ask you!

“Just promise you won't go overboard.” Dean smirked at Cas, who blushed brightly.

“I should be saying that to **you.** ” Cas laughed, teasing him back, and Dean's smirk turned to a sheepish grin as he looked back to me, offering the final spoonful of oatmeal. I swallowed it down, grabbing for my cup of juice. “But I don't think **he'd** mind if we went a **little** overboard.” _Okay, seriously guys. Throw me a bone here!_ I stared over at Cas, head tilted, giving him the best puppy eyes I could muster as I sucked down juice. “You ready to go shopping, baby boy?”

Nodding, I offered him a grin, raising up my arms once more. Shopping was far from my favourite activity, but hell, if it meant getting out of the high chair and more importantly, the house, I was definitely up for it. “Uuuup we go!” Happy giggles escaped me as I was removed from the chair, held on Cas's hip. “There's my happy boy.” Cas grinned and Dean placed a kiss on my nose, which I then wiggled before poking my tongue out at him.

_So much for my plan, huh? Didn't last two hours. Eh, whatever. I'll figure something out._

We went through a door in the kitchen that I hadn't noticed before, which apparently lead out to a garage. Pretty big also, seeing as it fit two cars. The first car, which caught my attention immediately, was by far the better of the two. I couldn't tell you the make, model, year, or anything of the sort (Star was the car expert, not me), but I could tell you that it was fucking **nice.** Definitely old, but well taken care of, sleek and shiny. Probably hell on gas though.

The car parked beside it was... unimpressive. It was a newer car, a kind I'd seen dozens of on the road. Light blue, nice size, really basic model. Definitely the car of a parent. _The black one's gotta belong to Dean. Cas doesn't seem the type... which means by default, he owns the 'mom' car._ I bit back a laugh, because hey, that's kinda funny.

I was loaded into the car seat sitting in the back of the mom car with Kippy and my cup of juice, the diaper bag sitting on the seat next to me. After I was nice and secure, pacifier in my mouth -clipped to my shirt so I couldn't lose it-, and my shoes on, we left, and excitement bubbled up inside of me as we backed out of the garage.

 

ooOoo

 

As much as I love car rides -traveling was always calming for me-, I could not have been any more glad to get the hell out of that car. I mean, it was still relaxing, and the car seat was way comfortable, but the **music!** Cas had **insisted** on playing a CD of 'kid's Disney songs', something about Dean's music not being 'appropriate for a child', so I had no idea what the hell was going on. All the songs were upbeat and catchy and Cas sang along to every single one.

It about drove me freaking crazy! I mean, I listened to—to hard rock, to country, to freaking typical music that guys listen to and now I was stuck with 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' and-and.... I fucking **loved it!** It was weird as fuck, man.

As soon as the first song on that stupid CD started to play, shit went weird. Everything went foggy, and I couldn't see straight. My head pounded as image after image flashed through my mind, just like the day before. It wore off as fast as it had set on, but as it did, I was left with a huge grin on my face, and was bouncing to the beat of the music. Hell, I was even trying to sing along with Cas! Dean actually joined in too when he realized that I was trying. It was fun and cute and I liked it but I didn't freaking want to!

So, yeah, when we pulled into a parking space and I was taken out of the car, I was ecstatic, unable to stop from squirming as I was placed into the shopping cart. “What's first?” Dean asked as he took hold of the cart handle, Cas being the keeper of the list. I didn't really care what they were here for, so I took the chance to look around.

The store wasn't one I'd ever heard of -a local market, I guess-, and it was.... crowded. Really, really crowded. There were dozens of people visible as soon as we entered the building, everyone looking around, digging for hell knows what. It was a little intimidating, if I'm gonna be honest.

 _Wait.. wait a minute.. It's--_ How I hadn't noticed immediately was beyond me, but there were decorations adorning the entire store. Rabbits and eggs, bright green and yellow pastel coloured balloons all over the place. The smell of chocolate was all around me, and most of the carts we passed were filled with baskets and candy and toys.

 _Holy crap, it's Easter._ To say I was shocked would have been a hell of an understatement. Since Star and I had started hunting, we stopped paying attention to the holidays. There was no time to celebrate and we only went into shopping centers when we absolutely had to, and it was a sort of 'in and out as quick as possible' deal, never lasting more than ten minutes. _No, wait. Stores close on Easter... So that means that today is Saturday and tomorrow is Easter... and... oh, you've gotta be kidding me._

Sure enough, they were planning to actually celebrate the ridiculous sugar-coma inducing holiday, if the armful of candy Dean dropped into the basket was any indication. Cas shook his head at him, but the smile on his face was adoring. “Hey, can't pass up the good stuff.” Dean said with a grin, reaching back to grab one more candy. It was a lollipop... a huge lollipop, shaped like a rabbit's head -morbid, much?- and he handed it to me. “Here ya go, kiddo.”

Unsure of what it was he expected me to do with it, I held it in my hand, looking it over. It was bright blue with a white face, big green eyes and a pink bow tie... kinda creepy looking, honestly, but he was being nice and I can't fault him for that.... Sooo, I grinned and held onto it tightly. “Fank yoo.” Dean's face lit the fuck up as I said that, and I mean, like a damn firework. _Wow. I'll have to remember that._

“You are very welcome, baby boy.” He ruffled my hair and I giggled, taking a look around us as we walked. Other than candy, they were grabbing normal grocery items—flour, cereal, eggs, etcetc--, and needless to say, I was freaking bored. I couldn't reach anything, they made sure of that, and since I had my hands full with Kippy and my lollipop, I couldn't play with anything. The seat of the cart was also hard plastic and stupidly uncomfortable, even with the diaper protecting my butt.

After what felt like for-freaking-ever, I decided that I couldn't take anymore of just sitting there. I wanted **out.** “Uuhp!” I waved my lollipop at them, wanting either one's attention. I didn't care whose. It was Cas that looked down at me first and I pouted up at him. “Uhp—pease!”

With a smile, he tilted his head, “You want out of the cart baby?” I nodded, shaking my full hands at him since I couldn't make the grabby motion. “Mm... alright. You can come with me to look for veggies while Daddy gets the meat.”

 _I don't care where you're going or why, man, just get me outta here._ “Ye!” Cas lifted me up, holding me on his hip as we made our way through the supermarket. The number of people had me on edge, so I clung to Cas as best I could, pressing Kippy between him and I so that I had one hand free to hold onto his shirt. It helped, a little.

Of course, picking through produce isn't exactly an easy task when you only have one available hand... more so when there's a kid stuck to you. His solution though, was not one I was on board with. He tried to set me down on the floor, just in front of him, though, so I'd be close and safe from other passing customers, but I did not like that, not one tiny little bit. “No!”

“It'll just be for one second, baby. Papa's right here.” A whimper escaped me and I tugged at his shirt. I didn't want to go down! “Are you scared, EJ?” _S-Scared? No! No way am **I** scared! _ I shook my head, now trying to get **out** of his arms. I wasn't some scared little kid. I could stand by myself for five minutes! I'd show him! “Hold onto Papa's leg, okay?” As my feet his the floor, I grabbed hold of his pants leg in my hand. People were stomping about around us and I did **not** want to get trampled.

I don't know what possessed them to think that shopping for Easter crap the day before Easter was a good idea... _Dean probably works all week... and if they're planning something for tomorrow, they probably wanted to do all the shopping together. Still, though, why not **last** weekend? Or hell, in the evening after Dean got off of work? _ Ugh, I couldn't wait until we got out of there.

 _Hey, I see Daddy-- er-- Dean! I see Dean!_ He was on the other side of the produce section, looking around him, probably looking for us. _I know Cas wanted me to stay put.. but I can walk to Dean, right?_ Hell, I'd rather be put back into the stupid cart than stand around waiting to be stepped on.

Readjusting my hold on Kippy, I released Cas's pants leg and held tightly to my lollipop as I started making my ways towards Dean. _As long as I keep my eyes on him, I'll be alright._ A task that was a hell of a lot harder than it sounded. People kept walking in front of me, no one bothering to fucking look where they were going.

With a soft **thump** I ran directly into a pair of legs, hard enough to actually knock me back and onto my butt, my lollipop flying out of my hand “Owie..” I whimpered softly. I mean, it didn't really hurt... well, not **that** badly, but it was surprising. _Stupid tall people getting in my way.._ I stood back up, looking around to try and catch sight of Dean once again. I couldn't though, see him that is. I couldn't see anything other than pairs of legs and the bottom of wooden produce stands and shopping carts.

 _S-shit..._ A jolt of fear shot through me and I sucked in a sharp breath, clinging to Kippy. _This-- maybe this wasn't such a good idea..._ I knew that I shouldn't be afraid. I mean, I had **years** of training, of monster hunting, under my belt. I'd fought demons and vampires, werewolves and wendigos-- creatures of fucking nightmare! But right then, standing in the middle of the produce section of a small town supermarket, alone... without either of my-my 'guardians' in sight...

Tears built up in my eyes before I could even try to stop them and I started breathing heavily—a panic attack in the making. “Hey there, little boy.” A woman was now kneeling in front of me, looking down with a soft, kind smile on her face. “Did you lose your mommy and daddy?” She was trying to be nice, speaking softly to me, smiling, but it didn't help. It actually made everything so much worse. My brain screamed out 'DANGER' and I was shaking. I couldn't help it. She reached out a hand to me and I screamed, crying loudly as I tripped over myself trying to back away from her. “Oh, no, no, little one. It's alright. Shh, shh.” She tried again, and I responded the same way.

“Nooo!” I yelled at her, squeezing Kippy tightly. “D-Dahdee!” It was the first thing to pop into my head and I screamed it as loud as I could. I didn't care anymore. I just didn't. I was alone and there were people everywhere, staring down at me, angry or upset or with eyes full of pity and this weird lady kept trying to grab me and fucking hell I was **terrified.** I wanted **him** or-or Cas, Papa, whatever. I didn't care. I didn't fucking care. I just wanted them to save me!

I couldn't see anymore, the tears blurring my vision. I kept sobbing loudly, hugging Kippy and trying to curl up into a ball on the floor. A pair of large hands wrapped around me and I let out an almost inhuman screech, swinging Kippy at whoever the hell was touching me, trying to beat them away. “Elliot, shh, baby boy. It's okay. Daddy's got ya.” It was Dean. Oh fuck yes, thank hell, it was **Dean.** I threw my arms around his neck, pulling myself as close to him as I could physically get. Hi arms stayed around me, one hand rubbing my back. “Shh, baby. You're okay.”

“I didn't mean to scare him...” The woman was still standing there, a frown on her face. She looked **almost** apologetic. “Poor baby.”

“It's alright, ma'am.” Dean responded, his voice harder than I expected it to be. I don't think he appreciated her lingering. “He's just a little anxious around strangers.” _No fucking shit! But can you really fault me for that?!_ I was so grateful that he turned away from her, holding me in one arm as he used the other to direct the cart off to the side. “Cas.” _Where?!_ I lifted my head, looking around us, my eyes locking on Cas's panicked form, his blue eyes wide with fear.

“D-Dean, I-- I didn't mean-- he took off and I tried to grab him but this large man stopped me--” He took a shaky breath and I could see that he was on the verge of crying as well. “Oh, baby boy. I am so, so sorry. Are you alright?” Letting out another sob, I reached out to him, making grabby hands.

I was passed over and as soon as I was in his arms, I hugged Cas around his neck just as I had done to Dean, burying my face in his shoulder. “Pahpah..”

Dean pulled us both into a hug, kissing mine, and then Cas's head. “You wanna take him to the car? I'll take care of the stuff.” Cas nodded, grabbing the diaper bag. I tried to quiet down my cries, not wanting to attract anymore attention or upset them any further... Thankfully, I managed to reduce them to soft sobs and hiccups.

When we got to the car, we didn't get in, Cas choosing instead to lean against the side, bouncing my softly, making soft, cooing sounds. Taking a breath, I pulled myself back enough to look up at him, wiping my face as I sniffled. “P-Pahpah... S-sowwy...”

Cas reached a hand up, wiping tears off my face with his thumb. He looked so sad, so.. so scared. “Papa is very sorry, baby...” His voice cracked and I shook my head, rubbing my palm against his cheek, confusing him.

“N-no..” I sniffled, pointing at myself before latching onto his shirt. “Sowwy..” Another round of tears built in his eyes and he squeezed me tight.

“No, no, EJ. You don't have anything to be sorry for.” But I **did!** It was **my** fault that he was upset, that they were worried and freaked out. I'm the one that stupidly walked off into a crows of strangers in the middle of a store.

What if something had happened? What if someone had taken me? I could have been kidnapped or trampled or ran over my a cart! Fuck, what if there had been **demons** around?! I'm small as fuck now. I can't defend myself! I can't even recite an exorcism! All I can do is scream and cry and—and---

The thoughts of what could have happened, what **would** have happened brought along more crying and now I just felt fucking **bad.** As my cries once again intensified, I pressed my face into his shirt as he rubbed my back. “You're okay, sweetheart. We're okay.” I felt a kiss pressed against the top of my head and he held up my pacifier, which I had forgotten was there. Without any objections, I took it into my mouth, sucking furiously on it.

Dean approached us then, arms full of bags, which were quickly put into the trunk, some into an ice chest-- produce and meats I guess. “Hey.” We were wrapped in another hug, this one a little tighter than the one in the store, and longer lasting. It was like he didn't want to let go. I allowed myself to revel in their warmth, in the safe feeling they provided. It was calming, and I managed to stop my tears altogether, though the hiccups and sniffles remained.

Both of their shirts were soaked, huge splotches of wetness visible from where I'd cried against them. _I really screwed today to hell, didn't I? It isn't even lunch yet and I fucked up.._ “You okay, EJ?” I looked up ad Dean, wiping at my face as I nodded. He smiled softly, kissing my forehead as he ran his hand through my hair. “That's my boy.”

“I'm sorry, Dean.. it was my fault.. I--” Dean cut him off with a kiss, resting a hand on his cheek as he smiled.

“Cas, it's alright. I promise. You two are alright, and that's what matters.” Cas looked like he was going to say something else, or start crying again, but instead just nodded, leaning into Dean's touch, a small smile appearing on his face. “We still have a few more stops to make... You up for it or would you like me to drop you two off at home?”

They both looked down at me, and I stared back up at them. I was feeling a lot better now, really.. I mean, I was still kinda freaked, but I was **safe** now, and with Dean and Cas... I also learned a very valuable lesson: Do **NOT** wander off, under any circumstances, even if I'm just trying to get from one guardian to the other. Stay as close as freaking possible and if I can, cling to some part of them to ensure I don't get separated.

“You wanna go home, EJ?” Cas asked me, and for a few moments, I just continued to stare. _He's.. actually asking me?_ I mean... I did kinda want to go home... but I also didn't want to ruin the rest of whatever they had planned to get done today... So, putting on my best brave face, I shook my head. “You sure, honey? Daddy wouldn't mind bringing us back.” Again, I shook my head, grabbing onto Dean's shirt with my free hand. _Not a chance in hell._

Dean smiled a bit bigger, letting out a short laugh before kissing Cas again. “Guess he's got his mind made up. C'mon, let's get going. The sooner we finish up, the sooner we can get home for lunch.” Sounded like a good plan to me.

 

ooOoo

 

It was three stores and many hours later before Dean finally said that they had finally had gotten everything that was on their list. It was a long and... interesting shopping trip. After that first store, I made sure that I was stuck to one of them at all times, absolutely refusing to let them put me down, **just in case** I would get separated from them. They didn't seem to mind though, passing me back and forth as needed, never complaining or even looking the **slightest** bit irritated. I think they were just genuinely happy that I was okay. That supermarket incident had scared the everlasting fuck out of me but... I mean, if they **actually** think of me as their kid... that must've been fucking hell for them.

Needless to say, I felt... pretty horrible about that. I tried to hide it, I really, really did, but they knew. I didn't think I was doing anything to give myself away, but I could tell just by how they looked at me, like they were waiting for me to break down into another crying fit. But, not wanting to screw anything else up, I used every ounce of willpower in my tiny body to ensure that I didn't cry again, and I did my damnest to stay quiet and as well behaved as possible. Hell, I didn't even whine or put up a fight when Cas changed me on the back seat of the car.

Now though, were were back hom-- back at the house and Cas and I were in the living room. Dean had insisted on actually cooking something for lunch and wanted it to be a 'surprise', so we were banned from the kitchen until he said otherwise.

Initially, Cas had taken a seat on the couch, leaning back with a book in his hand, which left me on the floor to play by myself. Not something I was happy about, so I took to staring, just staring, silent and unmoving. After about five minutes of this, he sighed, shaking his head with a smile before putting his book down and scooting onto the floor with me.

The toys from the day before were still in the playpen, though they were now neatly organized in one corner. The blocks stacked up together, the cars lined up neatly, and I figured, hey, I didn't have anything else to do **and** it would keep Cas's attention on me... so I walked on over to the toys and scooped up an armful of the colourful foam blocks. Cas watched me curiously as I carried them over to where he was seated, dropping them onto his lap. It took a second trip... and a third... and finally a fourth, but I did eventually get all of the blocks over to him.

As I was dropping off the last load, he had already started building with them. What he was building, I had no idea, but hey, at least he was participating, and I didn't even have to ask! Plopping down next to him, I started stacking up my own creation, not really making anything in particular though, just kinda seeing how high I could stack them before they fell over.

Though I changed my mind as Cas spoke up. “Are you making a tower?” I nodded to his question, my tongue poking out in concentration as I focused on adding more blocks to the bottom and middle, to stabilize it. “Can I help?”

With another nod and a smile, I handed him a blue block. “Ye!” He smiled back, placing it at the very top.

It was turning out to be a nice ass tower, too. With Cas's help, it quickly stood as tall as I was and so far, not a single block had fallen off. Unfortunately, we did eventually run out of blocks to stack onto it, but the tower was really, really high and way awesome! I stood back and grinned triumphantly. _Gotta say, we did a damn good job._ So I was proud of a stack of blocks—sue me.

“Tow-ah!” I pointed at our creation with excitement as Dean walked into the living room, grinning ear to ear.

“A tower, huh?” I nodded happily. “That's awesome, EJ! You did a great job!” I beamed at the praise, my heart swelling with pride and I giggled, clapping. But, hey, I had to give credit where it's due, so I pointed at Cas, my own grin growing. “Papa helped you?” Again, I nodded. “Hm.. well, I bet all that building made my boys hungry.” Now that he mentioned it... yeah, I was kinda hungry. I could go for some grub. Besides, whatever he'd been cooking smelled awesome.

“Ye!” I held out my arms so that he could pick me up, since I knew I'd be getting put into the high chair anyway, but... I kind of miscalculated my movement.. and accidentally knocked the tower over. “No!” All of the blocks tumbled down, spreading about all across the living room floor. Letting out a sad whine, I stared at the mess, tears pricking my eyes. I mean, I knew we'd have to take it down **eventually** , but not like that! I wanted to at least leave it until after lunch so that we could have taken it down **carefully** and built something else that was equally as awesome.

Dean picked me up, putting me on his hip as he looked from me to the tower, “Hey now, it's alright, little buddy.” He used his thumb to wipe away the stray tear that slid down my cheek. “C'mon, let's get some food in that little belly and after your nap, me and Papa'll both help you build a brand new tower. Sound good?” Sniffling, I nodded, actually liking the sound of that idea.

Food would definitely make me feel better and a nap would probably do me good. I could sleep off the stress from the morning and have some time to myself to think.

 

ooOoo

 

My nap hadn't lasted long, definitely not nearly as long as I hoped it would. I know I tossed and turned and at one point even smacked my arm into the bars of my-- the crib. The dream I had was weird as hell too. Couldn't remember all the details, but it left me feeling... I dunno. Paranoid? Like something was wrong, well, more wrong than the entirety of what I was dealing with.

No idea what it was though, so I did my best to ignore it. I didn't want to worry them anymore than I already had... It was probably just remnants of feelings from the supermarket fiasco anyway.

So, anyway, I'd been up for a little while, but I wasn't **quite** ready to subject myself to whatever the afternoon would bring, so I was lying in the crib, just sort of relaxing, thinking. When I'm around Cas, or even Dean, I don't have the chance to really sit and just think. If I'd zone out like that, it'd probably scare the hell outta 'em.

 _Maybe... maybe I should just play along, willingly, I mean There obviously isn't a damn thing I can do on my own._ There was no evidence of anything supernatural, that I could find, and I was too small and weak to really dig around. Well, that, and I was under near constant surveillance. _It's also pretty apparent now that they don't actually pose a threat to me._ Unless the diaper changes and playtime were 'torture'. _Besides, Star has to be looking for me. Donavan is sure to have ratted me out by now._

I laughed softly, imagining the look on her face when he broke the news to her that I'd taken off on my own... again. _She's gonna beat the everlasting fuck outta him... Actually, thinking about it... She's gonna beat the fuck outta **me** when she finds me._

If my time keeping was correct... it had been at least thirty-six hours since the original incident with that monster, and so far, other than what I could only guess to be normal life shit, nothing **bad** had actually happened. It all seemed... kinda unreal. I hadn't gone **this** long without working on something, whether it be research, packing herbs, cleaning guns, or working on some hunt related thing or another, since before we actually started hunting.

It felt... well, it felt kinda nice.

 _Y'know what, I'm stuck here either way, so I think I **will** just play along with this. Or, let myself play along, seeing as part of me is damn determined to do so anyway. _ My face heated up and I felt embarrassment bubbling in my stomach as I recalled the supermarket. I'd... Shit, I'd called them 'Papa' and 'Daddy', and it felt... right?

Granted, hey, I had kinda been freaking the fuck out and I **am** technically a kid right now, so my emotions **are** going to be somewhat... out of control. Meaning, I get scared, what am I gonna do? Cry out for my mom or dad or-- whoever was around that made me feel safe, which in this case had been them. It didn't hurt anyone anyway and fuck, maybe it was about time **I** was protected instead of being the one that has to protect everyone else.

It was decided, then! I'd play along!. This was going to be like a vacation, haha. I'd stick around, enjoy the care and free food and hell, all the free time and when Star finally found me and put me back to normal, I could go back about my life as though this had never happened. Huh... and hey, maybe if they don't freak out about it too much, I could even keep in touch with Dean and Cas. They're pretty cool guys, after all, and without me to, well, take care of, they're probably a hell of a lot of fun too.

With my mind made up, I smiled, pushing myself up and onto my feet. I knew it was sometime in the afternoon, but since y'know, no freaking clocks, I had no idea exactly what time it actually was. What I **did** know though was there was an absolutely **amazing** smell coming from elsewhere in the house. It was sweet, warm, and something that I immediately recognized. Pie. Someone was baking a pie! Yes! I never got to eat fresh baked desserts. It was always cold, store bought crap!

“Uhp!” I turned to the baby monitor sitting near the crib, knowing that they'd have the other one with them, so my voice would catch **someone's** attention. I wanted out, now that I was finished with my thinking session and as I learned -quite painfully- the day before, that wasn't something I was able to accomplish on my own. “Uuuhp!”

Dean walked into the room moments later with a smile on his face. “Did you have a good nap?” I nodded happily as I grabbed out for him. “I know, I know.” He laughed, grabbing me and placing me down onto the changing table. “Hey, no pouting.” Yeah, too late for that. I was already staring up at him with the best bitch face -it sounds better than pout- that I could muster. I didn't **like** being changed. It wasn't something I could ever get used to and I didn't even **want** to try. “Tell ya what, kiddo. You don't fuss and I won't even make you put your clothes back on.”

 _Wait, so... he's willing to let me run around naked?_ Or, well, as close to naked as I could safely get. “Ye! Ye!” Hell fucking yeah, I was all for that. “Nekky!”

“Almost nekky, EJ. Can't have you running around without a diaper.” Pft. Still counted as naked to me, honestly. Either way, I let him do what he needed, playing with Kippy while he did so, and once the new diaper was strapped on, he put me onto the floor and I took off down the hallway, following my nose. “Woah there.” Dean easily caught up to me and scooped me up into his arms, laughing as he did so. “I know Papa's baking smells good, but we gotta be patient.” With an angry pout, I huffed at him. “I know, I know.”

Why should we have to wait for it? 'Be patient'? We went through a lot of stress that morning and in my opinion, we deserved something good! I mean, the mini burgers Dad—Dean had made for lunch were way awesome, but situations like that morning called for sweets! (Usually I'd say alcohol, but even I know that there's no chance in **hell** of me getting that right now.) Candy or ice cream or baked goods like cake and pie and... cookies and stuff.

And hey, baked goods in the kitchen, ready to go! “Pease?” Maybe if I pulled out the 'cute' card, I'd get something.

“Those puppy eyes aren't going to work on me, kiddo.” Dean laughed, leaning down so he could whisper to me as we walked into the kitchen. “Papa won't be able to resist though. Go for it.” My grin returned and I nodded, giggling.

Cas had his backed turned to us as he worked on something –I couldn't see what-- and Dean put me down. I trotted over to Cas and reached up, tugging on his apron. He looked down at me with a smile and curious eyes. “Yes, baby?” He was covered in flour and splotches of various colour – red, brown, pink, blue. He had to have been baking for a while. Probably since I had been put down for my nap.

“P-Puh-ie.” Close enough. “Pease.” I smiled up at him, staring with wide, innocent eyes. “Peaaaaaase.” He stared down at me, biting his lip, looking like he was trying as hard as possible to resist. I **really** wanted that pie though and I was more than ready to pull out all the stops to get it. “Pease, Pah-pah.”

“Oooh, you little...” Cas picked me up, hugging me as he kissed my face. “Did Daddy put you up to this?” Dean whistled, looking away innocently as Cas glanced over to him. “Alright, alright.” We walked over to the microwave and he opened the little door, pulling out a plate with two **tiny** pies sitting on it. “I knew your Daddy would plan **something** to get to the pies before tomorrow, so I made you both your very own little pies.” My eyes widened with excitement and I reached for them, the smell making my stomach growl. “You can have it but only if you promise to help me keep Daddy away from the rest of the sweets, okay?”

“Ye! P-Pom-ees.” Whatever. It sounded close enough, and it satisfied him as well, as he put me in the high chair, this time leaving off the straps so I as free to wiggle around as much as I wanted. Dean sat down beside me, smiling lovingly at Cas as he gave each of us our little pie. I didn't even wait for a fork, I was so happy to have it. I stuck my fingers into it, the warm gooey-ness of the tiny pie's peach filling making me giggle.

The click of a camera shutter was heard and after only a quick glance in the direction I'd heard it -it was Cas, of course, taking pictures with his phone-, I ignored it as I dug in to my dessert, getting my hands covered in bits of fruit and crust. I licked my hands as clean as I could get them. Not all of the pie made it into my mouth, but whatever. It was delicious and I was having fun, so what the hell.

“Looks like **someone** will be getting an early bath tonight.” That someone, of course, being me seeing as I was the only one covered in pie. I could deal with that. Another bubble bath would be great! “Probably an early bedtime too...”

That one, not something I wanted. Screw that idea! I didn't want to go to bed early. I wanted to stay up and... play or something! They said we could build another tower! And we could watch cartoons or a movie while we did it. Or-or-- there were cars out there, we could do something with that.

I had to express my distaste for that idea in a way that they'd understand. “No!” I pouted, slamming my peach covered hands on the high chair tray. Of fucking course, they just thought it was cute, amusing. Yes, yes, laugh at the frustrated man-child. _Bastards._

“No?” Dean tilted his head, “You don't want to go to bed early?” I shook my head. No way! “Not even if Daddy and Papa went to bed with you?” They'd do that? I mean, it wouldn't be too bad if they went to bed early too. At least then I wouldn't be alone in that huge as fuck bed. “Besides, if you don't go to bed early, then the Easter Bunny won't come.” Dean winked and I stared at him. _Easter Bunny... Oh, right. Tomorrow's Easter... huh... I wonder how they celebrate..._

With a soft huff, I turned my attention back on my pie, “Okee.” Going to bed early wouldn't be so bad. Not if it's just this once. We could all use the extra sleep anyway. I wonder.... “Nekky?” I asked with a smile, hoping they'd catch on to what I was asking for.

Thankfully, they did, and laughed. “Yeah, yeah. You can sleep 'nekky' tonight.” Dean reached over and ruffled my hair before standing to put away his fork. “Now finish up and we'll get you cleaned off. We've got a tower to rebuild.”

 

ooOoo

 

The E-Tower version two -my name, haha- wound up being even more awesome than the first one because not only did Cas **and** Dean help, but Dean actually got **more** blocks from the toybox in my room, so it was bigger and we even made a special seat for Kippy to sit on top and watch over the living room. I was proud as hell!

Unfortunately, I'd started yawning in the middle of the said tower's construction and though I tried like all hell to stay awake and alert so I could play to my heart's content... it wasn't happening and despite my pouting and huffing -I even said please and tried to put on the 'cute' act for them-, I was taken into the master bathroom for a quick bath. I didn't even get a toy! It made me even more pouty, but it **was** my own fault for being so tired.

Tonight though, Cas was the one bathing me, having volunteered to do so in order to allow Dean time to clean up the kitchen and living room. It was also a break for Cas, at least that's what he said, since he baked the entire afternoon **and** cooked dinner for us.

He as being as gentle as possible, humming softly as he washed me, a gentle smile on his face. “You're going to sleep well tonight.” I nodded, letting out a yawn as I rubbed my face. “You really are too cute, Elliot.” I looked up at Cas, blinking sleepily. I am pretty cute though... “I don't know what it is we've done to deserve such a wonderful little boy...”

He stroked my cheek with his thumb and I grinned before yawning again, staring with half lidded eyes. “Seepy, Pahpah..” I reached up with grabby hands, wanting out of the water and... well, I kinda wanted to hug him. Not entirely sure why.. but I really did.

“Alright, baby. Let's get you ready for bed.” Pulling the plug from the tub, he picked me up, placing me on a big, fluffy towel that was sitting on the floor so that he could wrap me up in it. It was so, so soft and **warm** , feeling like it just came out of the dryer. It felt **wonderful.** I snuggled into it as he lifted me up and carried me into the bedroom.

Dean was just walking into the room, and with a smile and a kiss for myself and Cas, he went into the bathroom.

Gotta say, a plus side to being small is that it doesn't take very long to dry off after a bath, so in less than five minutes, I was dry, in a clean diaper, and sitting atop the comforter in the middle of their bed. It was definitely a kind sized bed, and as I waited, Cas placed pillows around a spot at the head to ensure I'd be safe and wouldn't roll away.

I yawned, crawling over to the little safety spot and scooting under the blanket. I was still going to wait until they were in bed, but I at least wanted to be ready so that I could curl up as soon as they were.

Cas was grabbing clothes out of their dresser, so that he could shower too, as soon as Dean was done. Which was about five minutes later, though he didn't immediately come to bed. He left the room, coming back with two things in hand-- Kippy and my pacifier. I reached out, for them, for him, and he smiled as he got into bed, handing Kippy to me and offering the pacifier. I took it happily, sucking on it as I curled up amongst the pillows.

I wanted to stay awake, just a bit longer to wait for Cas... but I was exhausted... and with Dean lying beside me, his body heat warming me, his hand gently petting my hair... I just.. I felt... so comfortable...so.. ha..pp..y...


	4. An End, A Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I meant to have this done and up forever ago. We wound up moving and things got crazy for a while, though, but, here it is!

Something was wrong... Something was really, really fucking wrong, and I don't mean like yesterday with the freakout at the supermarket and the stress and shit. This... this was something else. Something so wrong, so... powerful, that even my hunting instinct picked up on it, leaving me terrified. I didn't know what it could be, I didn't.

I had woken up as normal, I was in the big bed with Papa and Dadd-- Cas and Dean, ugh-- I was warm, I was comfortable. I didn't have a single bad dream, and I mean, I was in desperate need of a change, but that wasn't something that would bring along a feeling like **this**. I hated it. It made my heart race, my temperature rise... and all I wanted was for someone to hold me and tell me everything would be alright.

“Shh...” Dean mumbled out, his large hand moving to rub my back. “It's okay, baby boy.. jus' a dream..” _No.. no, this isn't a dream. Something's wrong, Dean—Daddy--_ “Shh, shh, come here... Daddy's gotcha..” He pushed himself up a bit, resting back on the pillows as he pulled me into his arms, letting my lie against his chest as he continued rubbing my back. I whimpered softly around my pacifier, snuggling into him.

I didn't like this feeling-- what it was doing to me. I didn't like being scared... and being as it seemed to have no intention of going away anytime soon, there was no way in hell I was going to go back to sleep, not even lying against Dean's chest.

“U-uhps..” It came out softly, a whisper if nothing else, so I didn't know if he heard me. Wanting to make sure, I pushed myself up, reaching a hand up to pat his cheek. Once, twice, and on the third time, he sighed out, a small smile on his face.

“Okay, EJ, I'm up.” Cue very big yawn, and a half stretch, and he got out of bed with me in his arms. _Good..._ Though... _I wonder what time it is._ The curtains they'd hung in their bedroom were dark and made of a thick material, so I couldn't see anything through them, not even the smallest sliver of sunlight.

But **my** room? Since the window didn't shine directly on the crib, they hadn't felt the need to block it off... so there were cute, thin curtains hanging over the window, meaning that when we made our way in, I was able to see to the outside. It was early, but the sun **was** up... sorta. It was getting there though, so I didn't feel too bad about waking Dean up.

I could tell he was still tired though, more so because after a quick diaper change, we headed right back into his and Cas's room. He hadn't even thought to try and dress me. Huh... _Maybe he's going to let me be nekky all day. That'd be pretty cool._ Of course, I'd get dirty faster, and would probably actually wind up with an injury.

Anyway, when we were standing beside the bed, his smile grew and he looked from me to Cas before setting me down beside the still sleeping man. “How about you wake up Papa.” I stared up at him, confused, which only caused him to smile wider. _Why does he want **me** to wake him up? Is he a grumpy person in the morning? Hah, maybe seeing my adorable self will defuse any early morning tension. _ “Go on.”

With a small shrug, I scooted a little closer to Papa, moving so that I was propped up on my knees as I tugged at his shirt. “Uhp.” He didn't move, though his breathing lightened **and** he stopped snoring. _Is he awake?_ Well... he didn't move, so maybe not. Guess I'd have to try a little harder. “Uhp!” I said it louder that time, jerking hard on his shirt. Still, nothing. _Geez, he's a heavy sleeper._

“Hm...” I looked up at Dean. “Try giving him a **big** kiss.” Would that work? It didn't sound like something that **would** work, but... the way he said it, it just might! Okay!

I scooted further up the bed, placing my hands onto Cas's chest to steady myself as I stood up, leaning over just enough to reach down a plant a big, wet, open mouthed kiss onto his cheek. The corners of his mouth twitched upward into a small smile and he opened one eye. “Uhp?” I huffed, puffing my cheeks out angrily as he closed his eye started to snore again. _Faker!_ “Uhp!”

“I think Papa is being extra stubborn this morning.” I nodded at Dean, pouting. “Maybe the tickle monster would be able to wake him up.” _Tickle monster?_ For the first time that morning, I grinned, nodding once more. If the tickle monster is what it took to get Cas out of bed, then so be it! I'd tickle monster him until **he** was the one that needed a diaper!

Yeah, not quite, unfortunately. As I reached for his side, he reached out and grabbed me, rolling me onto my back as he got onto his knees. I barely had time to gasp before his fingers started to lightly dig into my own sides, causing me to squeal out in a very loud, high pitched laughter. “You forget though, that Papa is the tickle monster!”

“N-nooo!” The word came out between laughs as I kept trying, to no avail, to squirm away from Papa's wriggling fingers. He had a good hold on me, and Dean was of course, no help what-so-ever as he stood beside the bed with a huge grin on his face. “Pahpah! Noooo!” _If he doesn't stop soon, I'm gonna need to be changed again!_

Thank the freaking heavens that he stopped not longer after that, pulling me into a tight hug, laughing at me as I panted, trying to catch my breath. I stuck my tongue out at him, but he just laughed harder, pressing a kiss on top of my head with a 'muah!'. “Good morning, my little lion.” I grinned at that.

“Lion?” Daddy feigned hurt, his lower lip poking out in a pout. “I thought you were **my** little dinosaur.” Giggles escaped me as I looked between them. “What do you want to be, EJ? A lion or a dinosaur?”

First, I looked at Cas—then Dean, and once again, back and forth before grinning wider, opening my mouth to say one thing: “Roar!” It took a second for them to process, but when they did, they both started laughing. It wasn't an answer, not in the least, but it was all the answer they'd get. I wasn't going to choose between them!

“So, you remember what today is?” I looked up at them both as they stared down at me expectantly... what was today... well, since Dean was off of work yesterday, that meant it was Saturday.. and today was Sunday... the shopping...

“Eee-ser!” I exclaimed with glee. “Eee-ser!” That meant it was time for cake and pie and candy and all the awesome stuff that they **had** to have planned. I mean, with all the stuff they bought and the people they invited over-- I was excited, all bad feelings pushed to the back of my mind.

“That's right, baby boy. It's Easter. Y'know what that means.” Daddy grinned over at Cas, who practically jumped out of bed, still holding onto me. I giggled, holding onto his shirt. “I'll go start on breakfast. You get our little guy dressed in his special outfit.” _Special outfit?_ Well, that doesn't sound like it's going to bode well for me.

They weren't going to put me in like... a dress or something, right?

 

ooOoo

 

Okay, so no, it wasn't a dress but in my opinion, it was **just** as bad! I mean, the jean shorts were fine, but the shirt? Uh, no. Not quite. I'm sure to them, it was adorable, but in my eyes, it was **horrible.** A bright blue, short sleeved **monstrosity** is what it was-- with a white circle of fabric on the front, like a belly, a big white puffball on the back to look like a freaking tail and the hood? Yeah, it had **ears** on it. Big, floppy rabbit ears. He was trying to turn me into a tiny Easter bunny! “Ick!” I pointed at the decidedly evil article of clothing, wanting nothing to do with it.

“It's just for today, baby boy. Please?” I glared up at Cas, arms crossed over my chest as I shook my head. It wasn't gonna happen. No way in **hell**. “Pretty please?” He stuck his lower lip out, pouting at me and-- uggh... With a begrudged sigh, I relented. _I guess it's only fair... I pout to get what I want... besides, like he said, it's just for one day._ My arms went up, and I allowed him to slip it onto me, fixing it in place. “Thank you, sweetheart.” _Yeah, yeah, eat it up._ This was a one time thing **only**. _At least it's not pink._

Cas was grinning from ear to ear as he pulled the little hood onto my head, the ears bouncing as I moved around. “Everyone is just going to love you.” _Everyone?_ Oh, right, shit. They invited a butt-ton of people over for their Easter party. _This... is definitely gonna be interesting, if nothing else._

Daddy grinned as wide as Cas did once he saw my outfit, though he also looked like he was trying to hold back laughter. It came out though, loud and happy, as I stuck my tongue out at him in annoyance. “Sorry, kiddo, but you are too cute.” _I don't care how cute I am. This stupid hoodie is coming off as soon as possible, no matter what you say._

Following the same routine as the previous two days, I was put into the high chair for breakfast, a bib snapped around my neck to make sure I didn't muck up my clothes, and given a sippy cup full of juice. It was grape today, which I sipped at while waiting for the actual food. The smell of cinnamon and pancakes surrounded me and my stomach growled loudly enough for both of them to hear.

“Just a couple more minutes.” I could wait for a few more minutes, if it meant pancakes. Not a problem at all, especially once I settled on watching Daddy cook, finding myself amazed at how he wielded the frying pan, not even using a spatula to flip the pancakes. He'd just flick the pan upwards with practiced ease, causing the pancakes to fly into the air, and catch them without a problem. Not a single one was dropped or even hit the ceiling!

I remember trying that once! I wasn't so good at it though... a pancake actually stuck to the ceiling with a messy **splat** and I couldn't reach it to scrape it off. It did **fall** off though, about ten minutes later when St-- Star? Who was that... that name.. familiar, but I couldn't put a face to it... it wasn't me... but it did fall on **someone's** head, because I could remember them getting really mad and I almost pissed myself laughing.. then again, maybe it was me? I couldn't remember...

My thoughts were interrupted as a plate with spaceships and stars all over it was placed in front of me, along with a matching fork, then a **huge** pancake! It had to be as big as my face! I stared at it hungrily, but as Papa reached to put syrup, I stopped him, covering the pancake with both hands. “No! Icky!” I didn't like syrup and I was not going to allow it to contaminate the awesome pancake that Daddy made me!

He blinked, a little confused, but smiled anyway and let it be. I grinned, picking up the pancake with both hands. It was delicious, like, the best goddamn pancake **ever**. I nommed on it, making sure to be careful so I didn't choke. “Hungry, huh?” I nodded, swallowing a mouthful of the deliciousness. “Just don't eat too fast, baby. We wouldn't want you to get sick.” A kiss was placed on my head as Cas walked by me, heading into the living room. I watched him, curious-- he pulled out his cell phone, though only briefly glanced at the screen before pocketing it, smiling.

Almost immediately after that, there was a knock on the front door and I jumped. _Their guests... who was supposed to show up first..._ And why would they show up so early. It was way to early to actually do anything. Dean was placing a freaking huge stack of pancakes on the table as the first -of what was sure to be many- guests walked into the kitchen-- another pair of guys. _Somehow, I'm not surprised.._

“Geez, Sammy, when you said early...” Dean shook his head, though was smiling as he got out a stack of plates and set them on the table. I eyed the newcomers as I chewed on my pancake. _Wow, he's big._ I stared at the taller of the two-- holy shit he was tall, even taller than Dean—Daddy—whatever.

“We meant it.” The taller one laughed, grinning. _That's Sammy then... so if I'm right the shorter fella is Gabriel..._ “Gabe was too excited to wait, so we wound up leaving a few hours early.” Well, I was right. Good for me.

Said man looked as thought he'd had way too much coffee though, and was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, about to burst with excitement. He turned his gaze onto me and I stared back with wide, curious -and somewhat scared- eyes. “Hey there, kiddo!” Friendly at least, and making a good first impression.. but there was something about him... something... almost familiar, but.. a different kind of familiar. The kind that set me a little on edge. _That feeling this morning... could that have been h--_ “Aww, don't look at me like that. You love me!”

All thoughts of that morning, all the feelings, the fear, the worry-- all of it disappeared as a wave of dizziness swept over me. Just like what had been happening over the last two days, my mind was overwhelmed with images and emotions-- me, us, him, all of them-- family-- and fucking **HELL** this one was so much more painful than all the others. I clenched my jaw, sucking in a sharp breath as I whimpered, rubbing at my head and willing with all my might for it to go **away**!

And.. and then it did. All of it gone, in an instant, like it had never happened. There wasn't even the slightest trace of pain.. All the men around me were staring with eyes full of concern, Papa looking like it was taking all of his willpower to not scoop me into his arms and cuddle the heck out of me... I didn't like it. I didn't mean to make them worry, to scare them... but I was all better now and I couldn't tell them what the hell had happened... so.. I did the next best thing.

I put on my biggest, brightest grin and reached out for Gabriel with both hands, the remainder of my pancake forgotten. “Unca Gabee!” They all seemed to breathe out in relief and the aforementioned man lifted me right up and into his arms, squeezing me in a tight hug, causing me to giggle as I held onto him. “Eee-ser!”

“That's right, kiddo. It's Easter! That means lots of candy and games and me and Sammy here brought you something extra special to celebrate your very first Easter with us.” _Special? I wonder what it is! Maybe it's a.. a... Oooh, I dunno, but I wanna know!_ “Ah ah. You can have it this afternoon, after your nap, and that's only if you're an extra good boy today. Deal?”

I nodded enthusiastically. “Ye! De-ahl!” I had already been being really good since I'd woken up anyway. I didn't fight during the diaper change, I was eating my breakfast without making a mess or starting a food fight and I even let Papa put this stupid bunny shirt on me. Naptime would be after lunch, though... so that meant I had to be good for just a few hours. Easy as pie!

“Don't hog him, Gabe. I want to cuddle my nephew too!” Sammy said with a pout, earning more giggles from me. Grown-ups-- er-- these guys looked silly when they pouted. _Still a grown-up—ugh, adult. Still an adult, EJ. Just not in an adult body._ With a roll of his eyes and an amused smirk, Gabriel passed me over to the giant of a person. The change in height scared me, just a little, but I clung to his shirt, ensuring that he couldn't drop me. “Heavy little guy, huh?” I stuck my tongue at him. “You were so little last time we saw you.”

Cas laughed, smiling as he brushed a hand over my cheek. “He has an appetite like Dean.” That actually seemed to explain everything, as both Sammy and Gabriel nodded, and well, I guess I could see why. From what I'd seen the last few days, Daddy could put down some food. Heck, if it wasn't for Papa, he'd probably have stuffed himself to the point of exploding by now.

“So long as you don't let him **eat** like Dean, I think he'll be alright.” A playful jab at him, judging by the smirk on Sammy's face. “At least you're glad to see us though. I was a little worried..” _Worried?_ Why would he be worried? Heck, it was my first time meeting them-- I mean, I think so anyway... and so far, they'd been nothing but cool. Gabriel even said that they'd brought a surprise for me! “Last time we saw you, you were terrified of me.” Sammy smiled down at me softly, and in return I stared up at him, confused.

“That's because you're fu--” Dean cut himself off at Cas's warning glare, “fuh-reaking huge, Sam.” _Sammy is really, really big, and I can see why I, or well, not me, but someone my size, would have been scared, but he's **nice** , which makes him like a big teddy bear or something. _“He was scared of everyone at first, though, remember? Even me and Cas.”

How could I have ever been scared of them? They're not intimidating at all! Heck, even when I first woke up here, I wasn't scared. Pissed, yeah, but not scared. “Yeah, I remember. The system can do that to a kid, though.” Hey, wait up. What? _The system? Does he mean like...?_

No, no way. There was no way he was talking about social services. I'd only been around here for two—almost three-- days! Ugh, great, just what I needed. That along raised a thousand more questions that I'd very likely never get the answer to.

“Y'know, it's actually a good thing you two showed up early.” I turned to Daddy, pushing thoughts of the previous discussion out of my head. “Me and Cas still have to finish putting things together, which means you are on h-i-d-i-n-g duty, Sammy.”

_H-i-d-i-n-g duty? H-i... Hi... hidi..._ Nothing. My mind blanked. I—I couldn't-- W-what the hell!? I can spell, dammit! I'm a grown ass man! Why couldn't-- why couldn't I-- _This isn't good. This can't be good._ I gulped, willing myself with all my might to stop from shaking. I already had one freak out, I didn't need a second one, not this soon.

Thankfully, Gabriel was more than happy to provide a distraction-- “Which means I get to watch the baby!” He piped up, the biggest grin on his face, like he was more excited about spending time with me than about what they had planned. “After we eat breakfast of course. There's no way I'm missing out on a meal cooked by Deano.” I giggled at his nickname for Dean, and Sammy shook his head, placing me back into the high chair.

They all took a seat around the table, fixing themselves a plate of food-- Gabriel and Daddy having almost twice as many pancakes as Sammy and Papa, though it was only Gabriel who smothered his in syrup. Putting on my best smile –I didn't want to worry anyone again--, I returned to my own pancake, not wanting it to go to waste.

 

ooOoo

 

I gotta say, if there's one good thing I can say about Uncle Gabe, it's that he is not at **all** a boring person. Since Daddy and Cas claimed that we needed to stay 'out of the way' while they set up for whatever they had planned for the afternoon, we were confined to my room, but so far, it was anything but unpleasant.

As soon as everyone set out to start on what they needed to do, we raided the toy box in my room, grabbing all sorts of things out by the armful, all of which were now spread about the floor; foam blocks, plastic cars, big squishy dinosaurs, baby puzzles, and lots of stuffed animals. Uncle Gabe was even more interested in the toys than **I** was!

I thought he was just being weird, kinda silly, as he pushed the cars around on the floor, making 'vroom vroom' sounds as it raced across the carpet, or 'roars' and 'grrrs' as he made Kippy stomp on said cars and knock over 'buildings' made from the other toys. I didn't want to play along with him, not really.... at least not at first...

**I** wanted to go find Sammy and Dean and Cas and see what they were doing, because they were keeping it a secret and I wanted to know what it was! But... watching Kippy destroying the town and act like Godzilla was... well, it started to look kinda fun. So with a grin, I joined in and started building up more towers and buildings and whatever I could think of out of the blocks and other toys.

Of course, I also giggled like freaking crazy when they were knocked over, sent tumbling across the floor. I didn't even care that I had to start all over again every time he did it. It was funny as hell!

It wasn't meant to last though, and in the middle of our 'create and destroy' game, everything went to hell in a handbasket. The weird feeling that I'd woken up with started to come back with a-fucking-vengeance and it was **beyond** horrible. My stomach twisted into knots, nausea hitting me like a sack of bricks and my eyes watered. It felt like I couldn't breath and I was pretty fucking sure I was having a panic attack.

“U-Unca Gabee..” I stood where I was amongst the toys, frozen, shaking, but I wanted him, I needed someone, **anyone**. Immediately, he dropped the toys in his hands and sat up, picking me up as he did so and holding me to him. I wrapped my arms as best I could around his neck, not wanting him to let me go or even **think** he could put me down.

He was bouncing me softly, rubbing my back like Daddy and Papa did to calm me down, and it felt nice, but it wasn't helping. “Shh, kiddo, you're okay.” No, no I wasn't okay. I was not, in any sense of the fucking word, okay. Something was wrong, really really wrong, and no matter how much I tried to ignore it and pretend it wasn't there, it **was** and for fucks sake, I was **scared**.

I was losing myself-- how I hadn't noticed before, I'll never know, but I was, and I didn't know how to stop it. I was.. I was actually turning into a fucking kid. There were things that I couldn't remember that I **knew** I should -that person, that... that girl.. and the thing I was after, I couldn't even remember what it **was** -, and I was remembering things that I know couldn't have ever happened -playing with Dean, meeting Gabe and Sammy-.

It's been two and a half days. Two and a half fucking days but it's starting to feel like it's been **months** and that isn't possible. It's just not possible. It felt-- it felt like I was running out of time, but I didn't understand how-- what was going to happen, what had that thing done to me? Could I even **be** saved at this point?

“C'mon, little buddy. It's okay. You're okay.” Uncle-- no, just Gabe, he isn't my Uncle, just like Cas and Dean aren't my parents. Nothing about this was **okay** , but he didn't know that, none of them did. This was **their** life, not mine!

Maybe though... maybe if I tried to tell him what was wrong, he could help me make it better-- how, I had no idea. But I had to try. “No. N-no okee.” I hiccuped, wiping at the tears on my face with one hand as I pushed myself away so I could look him in the eye. “F-feel baaad.”

His eyes softened and he frowned. “You feel bad, kiddo?” I nodded, sniffling. “Wonder if you're getting sick..” He placed the back of his hand to my forehead and I shook it off. I wasn't sick and I wasn't getting sick. “Are you sad because your Daddy's busy?” I shook my head. No, I wasn't sad! And what's wrong has nothing to do with Dadd—Dean or Cas. _Come on, man._ “You look kinda freaked, kiddo.”

_Finally!_ I nodded, wiping at my face more. My arm was getting covered in snot and tears but I didn't care. “S-sca--” _Stupid words. Stupid toddler body._ “Sa-cay-wed.”

“You're... scared?” At my nod, another round of tears started to flow down my cheeks. Gabe sighed, putting on a smile, soft and gentle as he wiped away the tears with his shirt. “There's nothing for you to be scared of, kiddo. I promise.” But how can he promise that? He doesn't know what's wrong, he doesn't understand--! “Your parents would **never** let anything happen to you and hey, you've got me and Uncle Sammy here now too!”

I-I guess he was right.. I wasn't **alone** , and they've proven lots of times that they cared about me and wanted me to be safe and happy and... but that didn't-- but I... “How about I let you in on a little secret?”

A secret? What.. what kinda secret? Curiosity got the better of me and despite my sniffling, I nodded. “Atta boy. Now, we haven't told this to **anyone** yet, so you gotta keep it quiet okay?” He made a 'shhh' noise, holding a finger to his lips and I nodded once more. “The reason me and Uncle Sammy are here so early is because we bought a house in town.” _A.. a house? They're moving? Here...?_ “We've been in the process of moving for about a week now, and just got everything finished. We're gonna surprise everyone at the party.”

“No buh-bye?” It came out without my thinking, but he seemed to know what I was asking and his smile turned to a wide grin, which, well... in all honesty, it made me feel a little better.

“Nope. No bye-bye, kiddo. You're gonna get to see us aaaaalll the time.” _So... That means that I'm going to have more... more... family around?_ My head throbbed as I tried to work that through. _No, they aren't my real family, just-- just the people I'm stuck with, because of... because of that... thing?_

Shit, I can't even remember what it was that did this to me anymore. All I could remember was fighting... pain... but that's it. _Good fucking hell, I'm in troub--_ Cue round two of 'memory flash mental overload' of the day.

The room began to spin around me, swirling into faces, people, places, things. Memories. But they weren't mind-- or they were, but they also weren't. They were clear and vibrant, like watching a movie, just, without sound. It was so bright though, too fucking bright and it made my head throb worse-- I thought I was going to actually pass out that time, and then, as always, after what felt like for-freaking-ever, it went away.

I let out a soft groan, shaking my head as I cleared my vision, looking up at the concerned face of Uncle Gabe, my hands clinging to his shirt. “Hey...” He spoke softly and I felt him rubbing my head, running a hand through my hair. “You zoned out hardcore for a few minutes, little guy. I was worried.” _Worried? All I seem to do is worry people and ruin shit these days..._

“S-sowwy Unca Gabee..” Hey, I actually **did** feel bad for that shit. It wasn't something I could control, but it seemed to scare whoever witnessed it.. “I okee.”

Once again, he was smiling, “It's alright, kiddo. All's good.” I smiled as well at that, _at least he doesn't look freaked this time._ “Y'know what I think we need.” I shook my head, blinking up at him with a questioning look. “Chocolate milk! And maybe one of those delicious desserts your Papa baked...” He licked his lips and I giggled softly.

We weren't supposed to go into the kitchen, not at all until we were given the okay by Papa himself, though... What if we got caught?! “Pfft, don't give me that look. I am the **master** at sneaking sweets.” More giggles slipped out as Uncle Gabe smirked, looking proud. “Watch me and learn, little man.” Setting me down on the floor, he hopped to his feet. “Follow close behind me, okay?”

I nodded. “Kay.”

“And remember, we have to be very quiet.” Once more I nodded, placing a finger on my lips like he had done, to show I'd be as quiet as possible. “Let's go.” The door was opened slowly, and he poked his head out into the hallway, looking first to the right, then to the left for any sign of the other grown-ups-- er, yeah. Whatever.

I got between his legs and looked out too, but didn't or hear anyone. _All clear._ With a nod, he tip-toed into the hallway, giving me a short glance to signal to follow close. My footsteps weren't as light as his were, but since no one had put shoes on my feet yet, they didn't make any noise on the carpet, thankfully. I'd hate to accidentally give us away.

I hid behind him as we crept through the hall, one hand holding tightly to the leg of his jeans. We stayed as quiet as possible as we made our way to the kitchen, and so far, so good. No one had seen us, heck, no one even seemed to actually **be** in the house, but still, we had to be careful. Papa—Cas, had told all of us that we had to wait until **after** lunch and **after** my nap to have any of the sweets, so we'd get into a lot of trouble if someone happened to catch us.

Uncle Gabe peeked around the corner—no one was in the living room, so we zoomed through it to the entryway to the kitchen. _Someone's in there-- shit!_ We were going to get caught and Papa was gonna be mad at us for not listening and-- _Wait a second._

I scooted past Gabe, poking my head into the kitchen and-- Daddy! He was standing by the island, half of a cookie in his hand, the other half no doubt in his mouth. I couldn't help but let out a giggle as he let out a noise of pleasure at the taste, popping the second half into his mouth as soon as he swallowed. He froze in place, and I giggled again. “Ba-ad Dah-dee.”

With a grin on his face, he sighed defeated and turned to look at us. “Yeah, yeah, you caught me. Cas is making me hold out like everyone else, but man, it smells so **good**...”

Gabe waved him off, smirking. “Hey, we didn't see anything if you didn't.” At Daddy's confused look, Gabe went about our mission—first heading to the plate of cookies sitting near Daddy on the island, and snatching up a handful. They were quickly wrapped in a few paper towels and handed to me to hold on to while he fixed our drinks.

“Deal.” Daddy smiled again. “Cas and Sammy are just outside though so hurry up.” I toddled over to him, tugging on his pants leg. “Hey, EJ. You havin' fun with Uncle Gabe?”

“Ye!” Nodding, I grinned. “Suh-neek.” He lowered himself to one knee, ruffling my hair with one hand.

“Sneak? You two being sneaky, huh?” I nodded again and he laughed. “Better be extra sneaky when it comes to hiding the evidence. I won't tell but you can't get caught, okay?” Once more I nodded, and he planted a kiss on my forehead, turning his attention to Uncle Gabe. “Don't overdo it, okay man? Otherwise, you're gonna be the one explaining to Cas why we have a sick baby.”

Uncle Gabe though, just waved him off, “Pfft. He's almost two, Deano. He can handle a bit of extra sugar.” _Almost two, huh? I really am a baby, then. Geez._ “Besides, it's Easter. His first Easter with us! I think that gives us permission to spoil him.” _Yeah Daddy!_

With a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes, he stood back up, “Fine, but I hold to what I said.” A glance to the door leading outside had him wiping off his hands and shirt and hurrying to pick the cookies back up. “C'mon, hurry. Sam's coming this way. And remember--”

“We didn't see anything!” With that, Uncle Gabe nodded at me and we took off back across the house to my room. He shut the door extra quietly so that no one would suspect anything, especially if Uncle Sammy was coming inside. As soon as the door was shut, I plopped down onto my butt and turned into a mess of giggles, kicking my feet as I tried to cover my mouth to silence them. “You liked that, huh?”

“Ye!” I placed the cookies down in front of my, the napkin unwrapping itself to be used as a makeshift plate, and Uncle Gabe handed me my sippy cup. As promised, it was full of chocolate milk and it was fucking **amazing**. I hadn't had chocolate milk in **forever**. “Mmm.” I picked up a cookie and started to chew on it— it was soft and still kinda warm, and it was homemade which meant that it was the best tasting cookie ever! I can't believe Papa wanted us to wait!

“My little partner in crime.” Uncle Gabe smiled and I grinned back, teeth covered in bits of cookie. “So, we still haaaaaaaaaave....” He pulled out a cell phone, glancing at the screen. “Wowza, it's already ten.” _Ten? We woke up super early, too... wow, we've been playing for a long time._ “So, two hours, kiddo. Whatcha wanna do?”

Immediately I perked up with a soft gasp, almost dropping my sippy cup in the process. “Tow-ah!” I stood, cookies forgotten as I started gathering up the toys with one hand. I tried to tell him all about the tower I'd built with Daddy and Papa the day before, but between the speed of my horribly baby-garbled words and the fact that I kept sticking my sippy cup in my mouth, he probably had no freaking idea what I was talking about.

“You wanna build a big ole' tower, huh?” I nodded enthusiastically, happily laughing at the fact that he actually **did** understand and knew what I wanted to do! “Sounds like a plan to me!”

“Ye! Tow-ah!” It was gonna be a super awesome tower too, even **better** than the one that I'd built before because Uncle Gabe was gonna help me build it **and** we could make it really, really big because there were even more blocks and toys in here than in the living room **and** because after we were done, we could team up with Kippy and pretend to be big monsters and knock it over! “Ippy! Ippy!” I pointed to the stuffed dog sitting by him, near the crib, where he'd landed when we finished with our last game.

Uncle Gabe passed him over and I set him next to me, sitting where I could see him and he could watch us, before placing my sippy cup down between his legs so he could hold onto it. Satisfied that my drunk and friend were safe, I turned my attention back to the matter at hand-- The soon to be Super Tower! (I don't know what possessed Daddy to buy me so many sets of blocks, but I **definitely** wasn't going to complain.)

Construction of the tower took what felt like forever. Definitely a **lot** longer than it should have taken and I have no problem admitting that it was almost for sure, all my fault. The sugar from the cookies and milk we stole kicked in hard and fast and I was, for lack of better terms, bouncing off the walls.

I accidentally knocked over our progress a **lot** while trying to move certain pieces or reach to a part that I wasn't quite tall enough to, but heck, I couldn't even **begin** to get frustrated about it. I'd just giggle my butt off for a few minutes, get up, and start all over again.

Uncle Gabe thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world, too, laughing right along with me as I ran around the room, gathering new things to add to the tower. It did, unfortunately, become a little less funny when I turned too fast and smacked right into the bottom of the crib, which sent my tumbling back onto my bottom, a bump forming on my forehead.

He **almost** panicked-- I could see it building in his eyes, but I wasn't hurt **that** bad, so I sent him a pout, rubbing my sore forehead. “Unca Gabee, owie.” With a smile, he scooted over to me, placing a kiss on the reddening area.

“There you go. All better?” I nodded, scrambling back to my feet and wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug. As he squeezed me back, the door opened and Uncle Sammy appeared. “Heya, Sammy!” Uncle Gabe grinned up at him, skillfully and sneakily positioning himself in front of the cookie crumb covered paper and his chocolate milk glass. “Everything ready to--”

With more speed than I thought I could muster, I left Uncle Gabe's side and wiggled my way between Uncle Sammy's legs, bolting down the hall before either of them could register what I'd done and try to stop me. “Elliot!” That would be Uncle Sammy's voice, a little confused, a little panicked, but I was on a mission and I wasn't about to stop so that he could ruin it! I was going find Cas or Dean!

Just as I passed the entryway to the kitchen, a pair of large hands grabbed hold of me and hoisted me into the air. I let out a squeal of surprise and kicked my legs, not liking the sudden lack of solid ground. But as I was turned and saw the face of one very people I was looking for, I burst into giggles. “Pah-pah!”

I reached for him and he pulled me closer, kissing my head as I squeezed him around the neck in a hug. “Someone's in a good mood.” I nodded as he grinned down at me, though as I returned it, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Or maybe a certain little boy is just hyper.” Papa turned and faced the hallway, where Uncle Sammy and a very guilty looking Uncle Gabe stood. “Did Uncle Gabriel give you sugar?” Papa was looking at me now and while I didn't say anything, I couldn't hold back the giggles. “I think he did.”

Uncle Sammy was grinning and shrugged, shaking his head as he looked down at Uncle Gabe. “You really should have expected that, Cas.” I nodded in agreement.

“I figured—no, I hoped that Dean would be able to stop them before they could--” Papa trailed off, sighing with an amused smile. “You three really are something else.” I was shifted onto his hip and I held onto his shirt, wiggling to get comfy since I didn't think he'd be putting me back down. “Think you still have room in that little belly for a bit of **real** food?

“Ye! Hug-wee.” And I actually was. A couple of cookies and a cup of chocolate milk weren't anywhere near enough to fill me up (well, and a pancake, but still.)

“That's my boy.” Papa smiled wide. “I take it you **won't** be napping today?” I shook my head. With how I felt? There's no way I'd be able to fall asleep, even if I wanted to. “Well, let's head outside then. We've got lots of surprises for you, baby boy.”

 

ooOoo

 

It was a good thing that Papa had carried me outside to the picnic table because I knew, as soon as I laid eyes on the yard, that I would have immediately taken off into the grass had I been free. Other than the play equipment that was already there, there was now a blue plastic pool with it's own little slide, a big green turtle shaped thing (no idea what it is, but it looks cool), and there were colourful eggs all over the yard-- in the grass, in the bushes, there was one atop the slide too!

I wanted to hunt down the eggs and jump in the pool and maybe see what the hell the turtle's deal was and--- oh, man, I just wanted to **play**! Buuuut, Papa said that we had to eat lunch first, so I was forced to wait and I was **not** happy about it. They all knew it too, if the angry pout and grumbled words were any indicator.

So I **tried** to focus on everything else going on. Uncle Sammy and Uncle Gabe were sitting with me at the picnic table, waiting for the food, which Daddy and Papa were working on-- Daddy was standing near a huge barbeque pit and Papa was setting out the paper plates and forks.

The smell of whatever Daddy was cooking really helped to keep me from bouncing right out of my seat, but it was still difficult to just sit there on the bench. “You want a hot dog, EJ?” I nodded over to Daddy, huffing out a sigh. _I don't wanna just sit here--_

“Starting without us, I see.” A woman's voice came from behind me, snapping my out of my thoughts. It clicked in my head as soon as I heard it and I knew who was there. In my excitement, I jumped off the bench before any of the men could grab me, and ran over to her.

“Jojo!” I almost plowed right into the blonde's legs, but she caught me just in time, swinging me into the air and onto her hip with ease. “Nan!” I kept one hand on Jojo's shirt so she couldn't let me go as I reached out to the other woman—Nan. _J—Jo... and Nan.. Ell.. Ellen..._ I tried to pieced together their names. _Jo and Ellen!_ I grinned in triumph as I did so. I didn't know how or why I recognized the two, but I did, and I was more than happy to see them.

I received a grin from both women, and a hug, too! “Hey there, EJ. You been good for your daddies?” I nodded, smiling as I thought about it. I **had** been pretty good, y'know, not counting the few, very small hiccups. Ellen, Nan, laughed. “You excited?”

“Ye! Eee-ser, Nan! Eee-ser!”

“That's right, sweetheart. It's Easter.” She smiled wider. “We brought you a little something, too.” I stared at the older woman with wide, curious eyes and she nodded, stepping to the side. There was a third woman with them, though this one didn't strike even the smallest bit of familiarity in my mind. She seemed alright, with red hair and a pretty, gentle smile, and hey, if she was with Nan and Jojo, then she **had** to be nice, right?

The new woman stepped forward, though stayed a good few feet away so she wouldn't scare me or something, I guess. “Hi there, little guy. I'm Charlie.” Immediately, I smiled, letting out a soft giggle. “You must be the famous Elliot I've been hearing so much about.” Definitely nice. I nodded. “We brought you a little gift.” She pulled her hands from behind her back, revealing to me a brand new, adorable -shut up- stuffed rabbit. It was made just like Kippy, except that it was a light green and brown colour. I gasped as I saw it and reached out with both hands.

“B-uhn, pease!” She laughed softly and handed him over. I squeezed him to me and rubbed my cheek against his soft, plush fur. “F-fank yoo, C—C--” I huffed as I tried to pronounce her name. I was trying to, I really was, but the stupid 'Ch' was throwing me off. It didn't bother her though, and she simply smiled wider.

“You are very welcome, mister. Are you going to give him a name?” I looked down to the bunny, then back to Charlie and nodded. Of course he'd need a name, just like Kippy... but I'd have to think about it for a while. Maybe Daddy could help me think of one... First priority after all, was food, which was made clear as my stomach gave off a little growl. “Grub first, huh?” I nodded again.

Jojo carried me over to the table, though kept me in her lap as the food was served; hot dogs and burgers, but with barbeque sauce! My hotdog was cut up into little bits so that I was less likely to choke on it, which was a smart precaution for them to take, seeing how I tried to inhale the thing so I could be released to play.

“Slow down, little man.” Jojo laughed, running a hand over my head. “The food's not going anywhere.” Of course it was. It was going in my-- Ooh, she meant that it wasn't going to run off or something. “You must be really hungry.”

“Nah.” Nan said with a smile. “I think he's just more worried about the toys.” She motioned to the yard and I nodded. “You guys wanna let him go on and play?” I started bouncing on Jojo's lap, looking between Papa and Daddy with my best 'puppy eyes'. I really, **really** wanted to go and play, more specifically, I wanted to **swim**.

Papa looked over at me, then to Daddy, biting his lip. “Well... we **were** hoping Bobby and Jody would be here in time for the egg hunt, but...” Egg hunt? Forget that, Papa, I want to swim! It's been for-freaking-ever since I got to play in the water, or spend any significant amount of time in water that wasn't a shower (or bath, I can say now, haha) without the threat of something trying to eat or kill me.

“No, Pahpah!” I wiggled, pointing over to the blue plastic pool sitting in the grass. “Sim!” Eh, it was close enough to the actual word. “Siiim!” The eggs weren't going anywhere, so they could wait until later, when whoever the hell they were waiting for showed up. “Pease?”

“Oooh, you want to play in the pool, baby boy?” I nodded, wiggling around more in Jojo's lap, excitement bubbling inside of me. They both looked at me, then to each other... and nodded. Yes! I grinned as Papa walked around the table to me. “We'll have to put you in a swimming diaper first...” He mumbled to himself, “Are you ready, EJ?” I nodded, my grin widening. “Alright, sweetheart. Let's go get you changed.” Jojo passed me over and Papa planted a kiss on my forehead as he held me close.

We went straight to my room and he sat me down on the changing table before turning to get out what he needed. I fought back a yawn, hoping with all my being that he didn't see because there was no way in hell I was missing out on pool time.

I held onto my new rabbit as he did what he needed to do, playing with it's ears to pass the time and keep myself alert. It didn't take long to get the swimming diaper on, since I didn't even make an attempt to wriggle away. It wasn't too bad either, looks wise. Blue and green with little fish all over it. Papa even took off that stupid bunny hoodie!

Figuring I was done and ready to go, I held up my arms, wanting to go back outside. “Just a minute, EJ. I've got to put sunblock you, otherwise I'm going to have a baby lobster running around.” I giggled, grinning up at him. If it meant I finally got to go play, I think I could deal with being a lobster for a while. “You think that's funny, huh?” I nodded. “Well, Papa doesn't think you'd like being a lobster.”

“Ob-ser!” I giggled more at myself, allowing him to rub me down with sunblock. It smelled like freaking baby powder, which as pretty neat, seeing as normal sunblock smelled damn awful. “Sim, Pahpah?”

He laughed, kissing my head. “In just a few minutes, sweetheart.” _But you said we could go after you put it on!_ I huffed, pouting and grumbling impatiently. “We've got to let the sunblock set or it'll all wash off.” It would? Well, shit, then I really would be a little lobster. “I'll set the timer for fifteen minutes, and until then, how about we see where Uncle Bobby and Aunt Jody are?” I looked up at Cas as he picked me up again, my brow furrowed in confusion.

More people that I didn't know... but... that I did? I guess? The names struck a cord of familiarity, but to my knowledge, I'd never met anyone by those names... or... I mean, I guess I could have... ugh.. I shook my head to clear away the confusing thoughts, not wanting to deal with it. _Just smile and accept it. It's not the weirdest thing that's happened._

We went into the kitchen and Papa set the timer, as promised, before grabbing his cellphone off the counter and flipping it open. _He really should keep that on him at all times. You never know when there'll be an emergency._

A lesson I learned a long time ago.

Speaking of lessons learned, that whole 'what goes up must come down' bit? I was feeling it. The sugar from those cookies was starting to fizzle out. _.So long as they don't notice, I'm still good._

Anyway, it took only a few seconds of ringing for a deep, gruff voice to answer, not even giving Papa a chance to say hello. “We're pullin' into the driveway now, ya impatient idjit.” I giggled aloud at the 'greeting', wiggling in Papa's arms. “We'll meetcha in the backyard.” The phone clicked off at that and Cas shook his head, sighing with a smile.

“You heard him, EJ. To the backyard we go again.”

Everyone was still around the picnic table, with the addition of two others who weren't there before-- Bobby and Jody. Another flash of memories, another freaking headache-- this one minor, thank fucking goodness, and I was excited as could be to see them. “Unca Bee!” My arms reached out for the older man, fingers wiggling as I squirmed to get out of Papa's arms.

I was passed over and as Uncle Bobby held me, I grinned happily up at him, babbling (and yeah, I mean babbling because there is no chance in **hell** that anyone could understand even half of what I was saying) about all the goodies that Cas had baked and that there were eggs all over the yard **and** that I was going to go swimming but not until the sunblock was done doing whatever it had to do.

He nodded along to everything I was saying, face lighting up with a grin of his own as I finished. “Sounds like you've had quite a day, and it's barely afternoon.” I nodded, giggling-- or, trying to giggle anyway. A stupid yawn broke through and interrupted me. “He ain't had a nap yet?”

“No.” Papa rolled his eyes, shooting a half-heared glare at Uncle Gabe. “A certain someone snuck into the kitchen and got him chocolate milk and cookies this morning, so he's been pretty hyped up.” Uncle Gabe didn't care though-- grinning as he shrugged and the others laughed. “I think now would be the **perfect** time for a nap though.”

What? Now? No way! Not now! I just put the stupid sunblock on and I'm even in my swimming diaper and _I want to go swimming!_ “No!” I glared at Papa, holding onto Uncle Bobby's shirt. I wasn't going down without a fight!

Daddy decided now was a good time to step in though, with his stupid good ideas. “What if Uncle Bobby puts you down for your nap?” My glare lightened, and I looked between the three men... I didn't **want** to nap. I didn't **need** to take a stupid nap. _Only old people and babies need naps! I'm not old or a baby! I'm a... a... twenty... twenty... er... I'm old enough to not need a nap!_

And, of course, cue yawn number two. _Fine! I'll lie in my crib but I won't go to sleep! I'll just play with Kippy and my bun and if someone comes in, pretend I'm asleep. Just for a little while, then I'll call for someone to come get me. It's perfect!_

With that plan in mind, I nodded, buuuuut, I didn't want Uncle Bobby to do it. No offense to him, but... “An'Jo!” I reached for Aunt Jody, who had been watching us, amusement clear on her face.

“You want Aunt Jody to do it?” I nodded, and was quickly passed over to the waiting woman. I hadn't even said hi to her yet, so it was only fair that she was the last one to see me before I was left to myself for a while. “We'll see you in a little while, baby boy.” Daddy and Papa gave me a kiss on the head before Aunt Jody carried me inside.

I sighed, staring at the backdoor as we walked away, and she looked down at me with a smile. “Don't worry, sweetie. You'll have all evening to play.” I nodded and held onto her, letting out a small yawn. “Tell you what, I won't even put your clothes back on. You can sleep just like this.”

_Really? In just the swimming diaper?_ I looked up at her questioningly and she nodded. “Yep. That way, you're ready to go as soon as you wake up.” That idea I liked, so I didn't make a fuss when I was put into my crib. Aunt Jody handed me my bunny and Kippy, oh, **and** my pacifier, before kissing my forehead and clicking the light off, leaving the room with the baby monitor in hand.

I was out within minutes.

 

ooOoo

 

Aunt Jody lied to me! I mean, she probably didn't **mean** to, but she still did and I wasn't happy about it. After I woke up, which was nearly two hours later (talk about a hard crash, yikes), I had to get Daddy to put **more** sunblock on me, after putting on a **different** swimming diaper, which meant I had to wait even **longer** to go play. After all that, I didn't even **want** to go swimming.

But, I won't lie, as upset about all of that as I was, all my my anger and pouting and the urge to cry were blown right the hell away as I laid my eyes on what was waiting for me on the picnic table.

It was a basket! A freaking huge, green wicker basket filled with blue and purple confetti grass and a **ton** of candy-- there were chocolate covered eggs, marshmallow chicks, twizzlers, m &ms and right on top in the middle was the biggest chocolate rabbit I'd ever seen. “Wow!” I stared at the mess of candy in absolute amazement before reaching for one of the chocolate eggs. It was wrapped in foil paper, not something I could easily rip open on my own with these stupid tiny hands.

But that's what they were waiting for-- for me to open it and take a bite. Papa had the camera ready and Uncle Sammy and Jojo had cell phones out-- I didn't understand why they were so hyped up about me eating a piece of chocolate, but whatever floats their boat.

I did my best to open the candy and put on a show while doing it... which wasn't that hard, because it really was hard to open. They were happily cheering me on as I went and when I **finally** managed to rip the freaking paper off, I held the (now smashed to hell) chocolate egg up in triumph, grinning wide.

“Good job, sweetheart!” I squirmed at the praise and happily obliged, even going so far as to smile at my camera wielding family members with chocolate covered teeth (and lips and fingers... and some may have dripped onto my chest and legs). After I finished the egg, Daddy cleaned me off with a baby wipe and I turned my attention to the yard once again. The candy could wait-- I could eat more later, but I wanted to play before it got dark!

We'd never be able to find the eggs then, and there'd be mosquitoes, so I wouldn't be able to go anywhere near the water! “Sim?” Apply puppy eyes and smile, “Pease?” They wouldn't be able to resis--

“Just a minute, baby boy.” Cue angry pout. “Aww, don't pout. I just thought that maybe you'd like to hunt for all the little eggs the Easter Bunny left. They're super **special** eggs!” Okay, yeah, that had my attention. _Special?_

“Very special.” Charlie winked at me, smiling. “I hear Easter Bunny eggs are even magic! Sometimes they even have something really cool inside.” And sold.

Magical eggs with cool stuff inside? Hell yeah, I wanted to find them! “Egg! Egg!” With a laugh, Nan helped me down off the table and I made a break for the yard. Or, tried to. Papa stopped me. I looked up at him with a pout, but he just smiled.

“How about Daddy helps you find the eggs?” _Help? Why would I need him to help? It's just lookin' around for eggs. I mean... it wouldn't be much fun for a grown-up anyway..._ “Mm.. I think he'd **really** like to help. He could help you reach the eggs that are too high up!” Oooh, well, that was true -that one on the slide may be troublesome after all- and I guess if he actually **wanted** to come look with me, that was a different story entirely.

And hey, he may even have more fun than me with it!

“Kee!” I hopped over to Dean, who was now smiling down at me. “Egg, Dahdee!” I tugged at his jeans, trying to pull him with me to the yard. “Eeeeeeggg!”

“Okay, okay, I'm coming. We need to get your basket first though.” _Basket? Why would I need my basket?_ I looked up at him questioningly but all he did was smile and pick me up, holding me in one arm. “That way we can keep track of all the eggs you find.” Well.... okay. That did make sense. I was just gonna carry them back to the table for Jojo or Uncle Sammy or someone to hold.

All of the candy sitting in my basket was placed onto one of the plates, though the grass was left in, to protect the eggs we'd find, and off into the yard we went! Daddy put me down once we were in the middle of the yard, near the giant turtle, and the hunt was **on!**

Step one, evaluate the area.

Now, I don't know who the Easter Bunny thinks he is, but he he freaking **sucks** when it comes to hiding things. Most of the eggs were visible from where we stood! Man, unless he was super sneaky with the most special of the magic eggs, this was going to be the fastest hunt ever, even faster than the first.... first ghost, I think it was? Ghost hunt with.. my... with... someone?

So, counting, there were twelve eggs visible from our starting point, scattered about the yard. Those would be the first to be collected. Then--- wait... I don't even know how many eggs there are! How am I even supposed to know when I find them all? I guess Daddy would have to tell me. I mean, the grownups seemed to know a lot about the Easter Bunny, so maybe they know him. He'd have told Daddy how many eggs there were for sure.

Okay, so, step two, hunt! Daddy was definitely getting his exercise for the day -week, even- as he attempted to follow me around the yard. The sugar boost from the chocolate egg combined with post-nap energy meant I was one speedy little bugger. I could hear laughs as he tried to keep up with me, meaning everyone was watching our little game of 'catch the baby that seemed to be going on.

I'd run to one of the eggs, carefully pick it up so it wouldn't break, place it into the basket that Daddy was holding for me, then run like hell to the next egg. This of course lead to many faceplants into the grass, but I'd get up with a laugh and a smile and continue on. They only hurt a little bit anyway, so as long as no one freaked out about it, I was good to go.

Of course, after the first one, Papa **insisted** that I at least put my shorts back on, to protect me a little, and after giving me puppy eyes, I even let him put the hoodie back on, just for the hunt. I had a feeling he was taking pictures the entire time, which is why he wanted me dressed up.

I didn't mind so much now though, because I was preoccupied with hunting those eggs! I managed to collect all twelve that I'd seen when we first started, and there were even more hidden even better! Like the one on top of the slide and there was one right in the corner of the fence and even one underneath the barbeque pit!

After we found all the eggs, and it took a while, we retreated back to the picnic table where everyone was sitting. I don't know what they were talking about, but it must have been something serious because Aunt Jody and Uncle Bobby looked kinda mad... they smiled again when I came back, but something definitely happened.

Dean put me on the table with my basket and I gave them my biggest grin and held out a shiny purple egg. It's shell looked like it had glitter on it and it was kinda heavy too, so whatever the Easter Bunny put inside must have been really special.

They looked at each other, then at me, and I could see their smiles turning... softer. “Appee Eee-ser.” A few 'awws' were heard behind me, which made me squirm a little.

At first, it didn't look like they were going to take the egg, but I held it out, shaking it a little to try and entice them to. Aunt Jody was the one to reach out and finally take it, and I watched as she opened it, which caused my eyes to widen because it split in half perfectly, and sitting inside was a super tiny chocolate bunny with blue candy eyes and a pink bow tie.

“Thank you, Elliot.” Aunt Jody's smile grew. “Happy Easter to you too, sweetie.” Satisfied, I turned back to my basket and started digging through the eggs. There were so many in the basket, there was no way I needed all of them, so what else to do than share them with my fami-- with the people who came to spend Easter with me.

Everyone was focused on me as I did this, amused, amazed, happy, I dunno. It was a pretty wide range of reactions, but seeing as they all looked positive, I figured it was a damn good idea. The second egg I pulled out was a darker green one with light green stripes, which I handed to Uncle Bobby, and he accepted it happily and without hesitation.

The next one was pink with purple hearts, which I gave to Nan, then blue with green spots which went to Jojo. Charlie's egg was up after that, red with blue zigzags. Uncle Sammy's egg wound up being one that was green on top and blue on bottom with Uncle Gabe's being the opposite, so they kind of matched.

Last, but most definitely **not** least were Papa and Daddy. I had to make sure to give them a super awesome extra special egg each, because if it weren't for them, none of this would have happened in the first place! My very first Easter celebration since I was a kid the first time around and... and it was the best I could remember. Hell, it was the most fun I'd had on any holiday in a fair number of years.

Hunting just.... never left room for this kind of thing. We celebrated, yeah, but it was usually because we were stoked about having finished a job that we never thought we'd finish or killing something freaking ridiculous. Even then, it was usually celebrated with alcohol, strip-card games, and 'celebration sex'.

But this... Easter party, was so innocent, so fun and... perfect.

_Perfect._ I knew what I was going to do. I tugged the basket closer to them before reaching in. The first egg was a plain blue, but it was a bright, sky blue that almost matched Cas's eyes. I held it in both hands, placed a soft kiss on top, and held it out to him. The next one was similar---plain green though, much like Daddy's eyes, and with a kiss to it as well, I passed it off.

They looked at their eggs, then to each other, and finally down at me. I took a big, deep breath and held up my arms so one of them would pick me up. Papa scooped me up and I was held between them, which was perfect because it allowed me to place a kiss on each man's cheek before smiling shyly.

“Pahpah... Dahdee..” I looked between them, fidgeting a little—nervous. “Wuv yoo.” Tears seemed to appeared in both man's eyes and they squeezed me in the biggest, tightest, **warmest** hug I had ever experienced in my entire life.

“We love you too, Elliot. So, so much.” Daddy mumbled out, smiling wider than I'd seen him do since I'd gotten here. “You're our very special little boy and you always will be.” Those words caused my stomach to twist, my heart to... to just **ache**... and then I was the one crying. Count on me to ruin the moment.

They didn't seem to think so though, because they both had smiles as they hugged me, kissing my head and all over my face as they whispered soft, soothing words to me. My crying calmed down much faster than I thought it would, but they didn't put me down again. I looked up at them with questioning eyes, only to be greeted by warm smiles.

“How about we finally check out that pool?”

 

ooOoo

 

Okay, so, the pool? Way awesome. I mean, it's too small to do any **real** swimming in (not that I think I could swim at this point...), but I could still splash around and hey, I was even given a bunch of toys to play with. (Papa got me a bunch of colourful plastic boats and some squeaky fish and stuff.) I created my own game with them, too. I would pretend that I was a big shark and 'smash' the boats, eating up all the little people who would scream for help.

Of course, I didn't want to spend **all** of my time in the water, so my curiosity wound up getting the better of me and I **finally** got around to examining that big turtle looking thing in the yard. It was a sandbox! The shell came off and inside was a **bunch** of sand along with a bucket and shovel!

I would play in the pool, then get out and run to the turtle, and back to the pool. It went on like that for about half an hour before Daddy just moved the pool next to the turtle, so I could hop back and forth easier. It was like being at the beach! Just without jellyfish and seaweed.

The grown ups took turns playing with me, and I made sure that I was able to spend a decent amount of time playing with each and every person. They all seemed like they wanted to play with me though, which was pretty awesome. Now, not all of them would get as into it as say, Uncle Gabe or Charlie ( **that** one was a surprise—she was just as fun as Uncle Gabe!), but it was still really fun. And after Uncle Gabe told me that the turtle was from him and Uncle Sammy (the special surprise they mentioned earlier!), I made sure to play with them a little longer than everyone else, to show them how grateful I was.

Unfortunately, playtime eventually did have to come to an end once dinner time rolled around. I responded to that with an angry pout, annoyed huffing, and I may have even whined, just a little bit. They wouldn't give in though, not even to the pouty puppy eyes, and that was that.

We did still get to eat outside though, and I was allowed to stay 'nekky' after Papa changed me into a normal diaper, and Charlie even let me sit in her lap while we ate. She opted to feed me instead of letting me pick at my food, pretending the little fork was a spaceship delivering cargo to a base on the moon, which had me laughing almost more than eating.

As dinner started to wind down, I caught Uncle Gabe giving a look to Uncle Sammy. One of those looks that means they're having a silent conversation, y'know? Uncle Gabe looked to me after and gave me a wink, letting me in on what they were about to do. “So, we have something that we've been waiting to tell everyone...”

At that, everyone's attention was on them, excluding mine. I was more worried about trying to climb up onto the table, though I was still listening.

Uncle Sammy spoke next, barely able to contain his excitement, “The reason we arrived so early is that as of last Saturday, Gabriel and I--” Apparently Uncle Sammy wasn't getting out the news fast enough because Uncle Gabe cut him off mid sentence.

“We bought a house in town!” I looked up just in time to see Uncle Sammy roll his eyes at the over-excited man. “Sammy made me **promise** to keep it a secret until today, so we could finish moving in, which juuuuuust so happened to be yesterday!”

“We started talking about it when you mentioned trying for adoption... and once it went through, we decided that we wanted to be closer to actual family again.” _So it was my... my adoption that prompted them to want to come here? Me?_ “California was nice it was just... too far away.”

It took a few seconds for the information to process, but when it did, Uncle Bobby reached over and swatted Uncle Sammy. “Y'idgit! We've been tellin' ya that since ya moved out there.”

Uncle Sammy rubbed at his arm, “I know, I know, but I couldn't pass up that scholarship. We're back now though, and that's what counts.” Everyone nodded in agreement, and the conversation drifted off into 'when can we come visit' and 'now you can babysit all the time', among other things. I don't really know, because it was about then that I sort of zoned out.

I didn't mean to, but it just... kind of happened. I was looking around, just taking in the view, but when my eyes locked on the sun, which was beginning to set, things just went.... weird. Much like the times it had happened since I'd woken up here, everything went.. fuzzy. It didn't hurt this time, not at all really. It felt... it actually felt kind of nice. Which, thinking about it, probably wasn't a good thing.

I could see more flashes, more.. more memories, but they weren't flying by this time. It was slower, and I could actually make out the details-- the people, the surroundings, where we were, what we were doing. They... they were filling in the blanks, answering the questions that had formed in my head throughout the day, letting me know who all these people were, why they were so happy to spend time with me.

Daddy and Papa-- Cas and Dean—they'd been trying so hard for so long to have a baby. I could remember discussions they'd had—ones that I'd been witness to during the 'adoption' process. I'd... this body.. had kind of popped up out of nowhere. There were no records, no idea of my 'real parents' whereabouts.

I was, as Uncle Sammy said, 'in the system' for a number of months, and during that time, no one, and I mean **no one** had tried to claim me as theirs or even try to adopt me, so when Daddy and Papa came, they... finally got their chance. It... it was like I'd been waiting for them.

Like I'd been lost... just so that they could find me.

“I think we have a tired baby on our hands.” Nan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to look up at her, blinking slowly. Now that she mentioned it... I was feeling pretty burnt out. All the running around, on top of having a full belly must have sucked up all of my energy.

“I think you're right.” Papa spoke softly, nodding over to Daddy, who then took my from Charlie. “You alright getting him to bed?” It took a moment to register why he'd be asking, but Daddy had to have been tired as well.

He was in good shape, but after chasing me around for most of the afternoon, he had to be worn out, but he just nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I got him. Don't have too much fun without me.” I settled in his arms, holding onto his shirt with one hand while I cuddled against him. “Alright, EJ, let's get you ready for bed.”

First off, I had to have a bath, because even though I spent a **lot** of time in the pool, I was still dirty as hell, covered in sand and mud, but thankfully, Daddy could see just how tired I was, because we weren't in the bathroom even half an hour. It was a nice, warm, quick bath, then I was wrapped up in a fluffy towel and we were on our way to my room.

“Did you have fun today, baby boy?” I nodded up at him with a tired smile as he laid me back on the changing table. “You know...” I stared up at him as he trailed off in thought. “Me and Papa were pretty worried about how you'd adjust.. to us, to our family to... to everything.” Which was completely understandable. I mean, anyone, at any age, can have trouble adjusting to a new home and new people, especially if they'd been 'in the system'. “You put up a hell of a fight. I was kinda impressed, actually.”

Okay, **that** got my attention. I mean, I can imagine a kid putting up a fight when being passed off to a couple of strangers, but with adoption, they met the kid first, spent time with them, got to know them. Y'know, make sure they're 'compatible' or something, like they do with dogs and cats. If I'd have fought against them during those periods... they'd never have been allowed to adopt me.

Which meant... which meant that... he was talking abou-- “But you settled down so fast that I think it made Papa's head spin.” He said that part with a laugh, but I was far from amused. I was frozen, barely breathing as I stared up at him, a look of what I was sure was fear, betrayal, clear on my face. “I'm so glad though, that you managed to settle down. We wouldn't have had a very fun Easter otherwise.” He sat me up at that, tilting his head as he dug through the dresser. “So, how about dinosaurs tonight?”

I didn't respond, though I don't think he really expected me to. I wanted to fight against him as he slipped the blue, dinosaur themed shirt onto me—I wanted to kick and flail and bite, just like I had done when he tried to change me that first time, but I.. I was just so **tired**. I didn't have the energy for it.

“There we go. All ready for bed.” That was it—the final straw. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't stop myself-- I started to cry. It was about the only thing I could do at that point, so I didn't bother to even try and stop the tears. “Oh, no, EJ. Don't cry.” Once more I was in his arms, and though I hated myself for it, I held onto him, fists clenching his shirt as I cried, wanting, no-- **needing** the comfort.

All I wanted was to scream at him, to tell him that I fucking **hated** him for this-- for all of this. For knowing, for knowing who and what I was. For being a part of this fucking... plan from the very beginning. I wanted to demand that they release me, that I be put back into my right body, that I didn't care of I woke up, bloody, bruised, and broken on the warehouse floor I'd fallen on.

But I couldn't do any of that. All I could do was hold onto him and cry. Cry harder than I could ever remember crying before. “Shh, baby boy. It's okay. You're okay.” He walked me around the room, softly bouncing me, rubbing my back, and every once in a while planting soft kisses on my head, but none of it worked. “Hmm...”

“I know that life ain't always good to you o/`” _Is he.. singing?_ He.. he was singing, softly, so very softly, like he didn't want anyone but me to hear him. “I've seen exactly what it's put you through o/` Thrown you around, and turned you upside down—o/`” He stopped walking then, choosing to sit down in the rocking chair that was sitting in the corner near the changing table. “And so you got to thinkin' there was no way out o/` You started sinking and it pulled you down--”

My crying quieted, some, and I looked up at him-- his eyes were glistening with unshed tears, a soft smile on his face as he went on. _He knew... they both.. no, they.. they all knew.. but they still care about me.. they... they love me.._ “Anytime you need someone, sombody strong to lean on.. well, you can count on me to hold you till that healin' is done o/`”

My life, what it was before... I knew it was still there, but now... now it was nothing more than a distant memory. I was a hunter, that much I knew for sure, but people, names, faces... places I'd been, creatures I'd killed... the things I'd **done**... all of it was blurry, fuzzy, slowly.. slowly fading away, being replaced with.. with new memories.

Memories of people that cared about me and loved me... that thought me nothing more than a sweet little boy. To them, nothing I'd done mattered. Nothing that I was mattered. I wasn't a killer, I wasn't a murderer... I was just Elliot. “Just take my hand and I will help you stand o/`”

Here, with them... there were no monsters.

“I'm here for you so don't forget, you can count on me, cause I will carry you till you carry on o/`”

There were no demons.

“Anytime you need someone, somebody strong to lean on... o/`”

_**A clean slate.** _

That's what this was. A clean slate. A complete do over. A second freaking chance at.. at **everything**. It was a second chance that I didn't ask for, that I'd have never asked for... but maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing. I'd destroyed any chance I had at having a normal life the day I decided to become what I was, the day I decided to hunt, so maybe... maybe...

“I'm here for you so don't forget, that you can count on me to hold you till that feelin' is gone.. o/`” My tears stopped and I was left just staring up at... at my Daddy, fighting to keep my eyes open. I hiccuped softly, which was followed by a yawn. My pacifier was offered and I took it into my mouth, sucking on it as I let out a contented sigh.

“Sweet dreams, baby.” A kiss was placed on my forehead as he stood. “Everything will be better tomorrow.” _You know... I think you're right.. I think it will be better..._ He took the few steps over to my crib, gently laying me down on the soft mattress. Kippy was placed in my arms, Bun beside me, and the blanket tugged over me. “I love you, Elliot.”

_Star... Star, I'm sorry.._

_But this... this life.. the way things turned out..._

_Maybe it's for the best._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Dean's singing is "Count On Me" by Default.


	5. The Other Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie, I finished this bit faster than I thought I would. Anyway, this is it folks. The very end. Now, I didn't want to just come out and just explain everything. How boring would that be? So, this is what you get! Granted, it probably raises more questions than it answers, buuuut, ah well.
> 
> As for the last chapter, that was actually not how I had planned for things to go, but once I started writing, my muse decided to completely derail my plans and that's what we wound up with. Worked out nicely though, I think.

**Three Days Earlier**

  
_The creature watched as the human lying before him shook violently for a number of minutes before once more going still. His screams of pain finally dying off as he slipped into unconsciousness. “They told me you were going to be so much harder to deal with.” It spoke aloud to Elliot's form, which was now curled into a ball on the cold, concrete floor. “I am disappointed, but I suppose it makes things that much easier.”_

 _Kneeling beside the hunter, the creature placed a hand on his forehead, the magick encircling it now a deep, forest green. The glow engulfed them both and in a swirl of green lights, the two disappeared, leaving no trace of their ever having been in the warehouse, aside from droplets of blood that no one would pay any mind to_.

_The lair in which the creature resided was, unlike most others, brightly lit and well maintained, seeming to be nothing more than an ordinary human's home in a small town on the coast... though as he and Elliot appeared in the basement, it was more than clean that it was not._

_This room was as well lit as all the others, but the dark, brick laden walls were covered in mirrors—dozens upon dozens of mirrors, of varying shape, size, and design. From small, simple hand mirrors to large, ornate decorative ones. Behind them, painted in herbal mixtures and blood, were symbols from a number of languages—human, demonic, angelic. Some were for protection, some for magick enhancement._

_Where there were not mirrors, there were shelves, filled with books and bottles, candles and spell ingredients, and in the center of the room sat a large stone alter, covered with a deep blue cloth. Candles and herbs were strewn across it, from the last ritual performed, and with a wave of it's hand, the alter was cleared-- all items returning to their rightful places._

_Elliot was laid upon the stone, his body already beginning to change. At first glance, it was nothing major, things that would go unnoticed-- his muscles were smaller, hair lighter in colour, and the scars were beginning to fade from his skin. The spell was working much faster than the creature had initially anticipated, a surprising, yet not unwelcome turn of events._

_“The boy seems to be taking well to your magick.” A second creature, this one smaller than the first, with shining red eyes and dressed in a crimson robe appeared in a swirl of green. “You have done well, Nyall.”_

_The purple eyed creature, Nyall, kept his eyes on Elliot as he spoke. “He is one well attuned to magick. His companions have been training him, though his own power is... weak. There is just enough magick inside of him to ensure that the spell works as it should.” Nyall turned to the other creature. “Tell me, what of his companions? Should I be “concerned” that more hunters will be searching for me?”_

_Red eyes let out a laugh, walking around him to the other side of the alter, tracing their hand over Elliot, feeling the magick pulsing within him. “I would imagine not. Even if they realize that he is gone, by the time they would manage to locate you, it will be far too late to reverse the magicks.” Elliot shuddered, letting out a soft whine as tears began running down his cheeks. “I did not think the spell would cause him such pain... is it due to his own power?”_

_“I believe he is simply dreaming.” Nyall stared down at the hunter. “The initial casting may have caused him a fair amount of pain, but it will have worn off by now.” The boy's body was changing still, a consistent rate. “The physical transformation will be completed within the hour. Then we will send him off, and he will be our problem no longer.”_

_“What are the chances that he will manage to escape before the spell is complete?”_

_“Minimal. With the body of a human cub, he will not possess the strength or dexterity to get away from his new keepers, and as the spell rewrites his memories, he will lose the will to try.”_

_“What of his keepers? If they so choose, they could assist him in his escape, and all that we've worked for---”_

_“Do you not trust me, Tiuah?” Nyall stared hard at his **guest** , eyes sparking with anger as his voice hardened. “I am not so incompetent that I would choose keepers that would do something such as **release** their charge. They believe they are... saving him, taking him away from a life made up of nothing more than death and suffering. In their minds, this will be his 'second chance' and they will do whatever they must to ensure it remains so._

_Tiuah bowed her head in apology, defusing Nyall's anger. “I did not mean to offend, brother. I am simply concerned. I do not wish for our plans to be derailed when we have come so far.” She looked up once more, stepping around the alter to get a better look at Elliot's features as he shifted. “What will happen if he figures out that they know the truth of his... transition?”_

_Nyall thought about that, just for a few moments before dismissing her concern. “If he does, there is nothing that he can do. His keepers will not set him free and once the full moon is passed, it will not matter.”_

_Their conversation ended there, and both stood beside the alter as they watched the human's body take on what would be it's new, permanent form. He lay now on the stone, his clothes—torn and splattered with blood-- pooling around him as his body shrank and changed. All marks of his past were disappearing, his organs healing from damage done over the years from both battle and alcohol, and his aura, his very soul, cleansed of the filth which plagued it._

_Nyall had not lied when he said he wished to do no harm to Elliot, but the hunter's ferocity had forced him to use a stronger magick, faster acting, which had been such a shock to the human's system that it likely felt as though he were being burned alive from the inside, at least until he lost consciousness._

_The spell, one which he'd performed dozens of times, was originally meant to work slowly, allowing those under it's power to transition at a slow, careful rate, which would allow the caster to monitor their progress, ensure things happened smoothly. Granted, the boosted spell **was** working much faster than Nyall had thought, but he was sure it was only due to the boy's own power, however weak._

_Nyall felt no guilt, despite how things had happened back at the warehouse. He was on a **very** strict schedule, after all, and if he had not proceeded as he had, then they would have had to wait, allowing the human to tell others of their encounter, surely attracting other hunters to him before it was their time._

_So no, he felt no guilt over the pain he caused. After all, this was all part of the grand design, and he, they, could not afford for **anything** to go wrong._

 

ooOoo

 

**Somewhere In Southern Ohio – Friday Night**

_Star gripped the steering wheel of the thunderbird with all her strength, her knuckles turning white. To say she was angry would be a **vast** understatement, considering the news she had been given only hours before. While she was grateful that Donavan had filled her in on what was going on, it did nothing more than piss her off. She had to focus though, on getting back to base so that they could figure out exactly how to deal with the situation._

_Ever since she and Elliot had left home, he'd had the fucking annoying tendency to take off on his own if there was a hunt or a job, and she wasn't immediately available. This had lead to her finding him in hospitals more times than she cared to remember, usually with a concussion, multiple broken bones, an ungodly amount of lacerations, or riddled with bullet holes. Of course, despite whatever pain he was obviously in, he'd always greet her with that stupid goofy ass smile, asking what took her so long._

_This time though? He'd gone too fucking far and she was going to beat the everlasting hell out of him as soon as she saw him again, no matter what condition he happened to be in._

_They'd been after these things—these creatures, for about ten months now, ever since Donny caught wind of hunters disappearing all over the goddamn map. It wasn't something that would usually catch their attention-- hunting was a dangerous job after all, people disappeared all the time, more than likely having been gotten by whatever it was they were trying to get._

_But it was different this time. There were no bodies, no leftovers, no evidence of even a struggle. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They were there and then they weren't. The first guess, of course, had been witches, but that was ruled out almost as quickly as it had been mentioned._

_The only witch stupid enough to pull something like as big as that was one that was new to the craft, in which case they wouldn't have the power to do so. That, and Star's parents would have had a lock on them by now, being as advanced in the craft as they were._

_Crowley's demons were another possibility, but they never just **took** someone. It was always a bloody, gruesome death. Werewolves? Shredded bodies and the occasional missing heart. Vampires? Bodies drained of blood. Poltergeists? Same as demons. There was nothing that they could think of that would just **take** people, and not just normal people. Hunters. It was **always** hunters._

_“Damnit!” Star growled out to the empty car, pressing down harder on the accelerator. “Why the **hell** did you have to take off on your own again, you stupid jackass!? You couldn't wait until we had more information? You couldn't wait until we had a goddamn **name**!? It was there and you just **had** to go for it. I swear to the Gods that if you're dead, I'm going to find a way to bring you back to life just so I can kill you myself!” _

_The familiar tune of Donny's ringtone tore her from her rant and she slid her thumb across the screen, mouth open, ready to turn her frustrations on him. He spoke first though, and she just about slammed on the breaks as she heard what he had to say._

**_“I have a lead.”_ **

 

ooOoo

 

**Nyall's Lair – Friday Afternoon**

_It was... amusing, to watch the human cub adjust to his new... situation, Nyall decided as he glanced over to the mirror to that particular reality for the tenth time that hour. The boy was much more calm than most of the other hunters had been, though he supposed it was simply due to the boy's personality. A hunter's training didn't usually involve a session on 'how to remain calm in stressful and potentially dangerous situations'_.

_Instead of panicking—screaming, crying, and fighting with all that he was to escape, he remained (at least outwardly) calm, collected, after realizing that he wasn't in any real position to fight. A human cub's body is only so strong, after all. So, he chose to 'go along' with things, try to subtly work his way out of his entrapment._

_Nothing he attempted ever worked, of course, and now? As he played in the backyard with the elder of his two keepers, his plans of escape were pushed so far into the back of his mind that even Nyall wasn't sure he **truly** wanted to escape. Not now that he'd had a taste of what this new life had to offer._

_His thoughts were still conflicted, but that was to be expected. It was only the first day and the spell had only just begun to rewrite his past._

_Nyall turned back to the alter, sprinkling the next of many herbs into the mortar, focusing on the task at hand. He had a potion to make for Tiuah, as payment for her... upcoming services, and she would soon be coming to collect._

 

ooOoo

 

**Base – Boulder, Colorado – Friday Night**

_“I swear, Donny, if this is some dead end, I'm going to--” The words caught in her throat and she froze as she caught sight of what he'd pulled up on the monitor. “That's..” The creature on the screen before them was one much like they'd been searching for. It's skin was snow white, eyes a bright, haunting green. It was wearing a floor length white cloak, so it's body couldn't be seen, but dark markings adorned it's smooth head and face. It's teeth were a gleaming white and all were pointed, making it look, for lack of better phrasing- creepy as fuck. “Holy fuck, you actually have a lead.”_

_Donny nodded, clicking through the photos, showing the creature from different angles, in different positions. In some, magick auras of varying colour glowed around it's hands. One of his contacts, a hunter off in Washington, managed to send the photos through during a rather.. violent run in with the creature. Unfortunately, he hadn't made it through the encounter, having disappeared off the map almost as soon as the last of the photos were through, but it was enough. “Cost us Paul, but yeah, I've got a lead.”_

_Star waiting, as patiently as possible, for him to explain. “I don't have a name yet, but I've been researching my fucking ass off. I'm cross-references the photos with past jobs and information coming through the grape vine. So far, no one to meet one of these guys face to face has come back from the encounter, meaning we've lost a hell of a lot more comrades than I originally thought.” He tapped away at the keyboard, pulling up file after file of information he's gathered. “Don't know what their motive is, or if they even **have** one. Don't know where they're taking the people they nab, but the body trails?”_

_“Let me guess. They're a trap?”_

_“Bingo, sweetheart. They leave a few corpses, hunter picks up the scent and tracks them down and it's game over.” Danny grunted, pushing up his glasses. “Anyway, they aren't witches, obviously, and they aren't demonic, as far as we can tell. They rely heavily on their magicks though. They aren't physically strong on their own, but their magicks enhance the fuck out of their natural strength and keep them well protected.”_

_Star huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “So, what? I use a spell to knock 'em down a few pegs then kick their ass?” She could do that. Hell, she'd enjoy doing that._

_Unfortunately, Danny shook his head, sighing. “I don't think it would work. Your power stems from nature. Theirs? No idea. It **could** work, but then again, there's a huge chance that it won't, and we really can't afford to lose you so don't even **think** about taking off.” She narrowed her eyes, grumbling at him. “Look, now that we know the body trails are a sure fire way to find one, all we have to do is wait for them to start popping up again, which seems to be every few days or so.”_

_“Damnit, Donny, I'm not going to just sit around here and wa--”_

_“Didn't think you would.” Danny cut her off, already knowing what she was going to say. “Which is why I have a job for you.” He held out a manila folder. “This is everything I have on Elliot's last job. I want you to investigate his last known location. See if you can find something, anything. Hair, blood, fingernails, clothing fibers. Do a **complete** search of the area and bring me back whatever you find.”_

_Taking the folder, Star nodded, determination building inside of her. “Will do. If there's anything at all, I'll bring it back.”_

_“Atta girl. Now go restock and load up. I'll keep looking for any information that may be out there. Good luck, Star. You're going to need it.”_

 

ooOoo

 

**Nyall's Lair – Saturday Morning**

_Things were progressing at a surprisingly quick rate, and Nyall had to admit, he was actually impressed by Tiuah's work. What she had done was minimal, but it allowed the cub's transition to **leap** forward, **guaranteeing** that things would progress just as they needed._

_All it had taken was a pair of appropriately placed, mildly intimidating humans to scare the boy in a way he had never before experienced, and his mind, his **soul** began crying out for the men who had taken up the role as his parents. There was no turning back for him now. He could fight as much as he wanted, but it would do him no good._

_The magick latched onto him at the very core in his moment of weakness and nothing of this or any other world would ever be able to separate it from him._

 

ooOoo

 

**Northern Texas – Saturday Afternoon**

_She had driven straight through to the location Donny had given her, speeding down the highway as fast as the thunderbird was willing to go. Running on nothing more than adrenaline and caffeine, she was itching to get to the warehouse and find something, **anything** that would lead her to Elliot._

_Supply bag slung over her shoulder, she entered the building, thankful that the sun was shining brightly through the large windows, allowing her full view of her surroundings. At first glance, it didn't seem as though anything had been disturbed, but she knew better. No matter how much someone tried to cleanse a 'crime scene', there was something left. There was **always** something._

_There had to be._

_It took her a lot longer than she would have liked to examine the entire area. She hadn't slept in well over twenty four hours, so using a spell to do the work was out of the question-- with her luck, she'd accidentally destroy anything that could be useful._

_So, it had taken a long while, but she found it. She almost missed it, as miniscule as it was._

_Blood._

_She couldn't tell if it belonged to Elliot or the creature he had faced, but Danny would be able to run tests and figure it out. She scraped up what she could and sealed it in a small, glass vial, taking one more quick look around._

_Whatever this thing was, it was almost too good at cleaning up after itself._

_Star sighed, hoping that what she had would be enough._

 

ooOoo

 

**Nyall's Lair – Saturday Night**

_Tiuah stood beside the alter, staring into the mirror, which was currently focused on the cub's sleeping form, sprawled out in the middle of his keepers' bed, drool dribbling out of his mouth. He let out a noise, a soft sound and his the elder keeper just barely cracked open an eye, reaching up to slide the fallen pacifier back into his mouth. The cub took it, sighing happily in his sleep as he scooted closer to the man's warmth._

_“I take it things are progressing well for this human?” She asked, almost not believing her eyes. “Have you had any problems?”_

_Nyall glanced over to the mirror. “He has made a few haphazard 'escape' attempts, though after your involvement this morning, he has made the conscious decision to 'play along' until his female companion arrives to rescue him.” He spoke with amusement, the idea causing him to chuckle. “I am looking forward to her arrival.”_

_Tiuah took her eyes off the mirror, turning to Nyall. “It will be quite the encounter. Do you believe she would choose to 'save him' after seeing him like this?”_

_Nyall hmm'd in thought. “While possible, it is highly unlikely. If she cares for him as much as she believes, then she would not wish to take him away from this. It is, as you know, a 'second chance' at life, so why would she?”_

_“Humans are very selfish creature, Nyall. If she wants him back badly enough, then I have no doubt that she would attempt to retrieve him.”_

_He paused, considering her words. She **was** correct and he knew that from many years of personal experience. Humans were terrible, selfish beings... “If she is as selfish, as disgustingly greedy as humans tend to be... then she would have to live with the consequences of what she has done.”_

 

ooOoo

 

**Base – Boulder, Colorado – Sunday Night**

_As soon as she got back to base, she was out like a light-- dead to the world from the moment she sat upon the couch. Danny draped a blanket over her before taking the opportunity to rummage through her supply bag, taking the sample down to the lab to run the necessary tests._

_If it was Elliot's blood, they'd be able to check it for traces of magick, figure out what was done and hopefully, how to reverse it. It would also provide them with more information on exactly what the creatures could do._

_If it belonged to the creature, he'd (with any luck) be able to figure out exactly what it was they were dealing with and how to kill it without losing anyone else. They were running out of time and Danny knew it. Star did as well. With the number of comrade disappearances increasing over the last year, they knew it was only a matter of time before the age of hunters came to an end._

_Before **they** came to an end._

_The tests would take a number of hours to complete, which meant that Danny wouldn't be getting much, if any sleep tonight. As he returned to the common room, he sighed softly and looked over to Star, a sad gleam in his eyes_.

_He sat down at the computer and began typing, shooting off emails to all of his contacts in the underworld, while he had the chance. If nothing else, someone there may know something... even if it wouldn't come cheap, but he'd do whatever he could to bring Elliot back, no matter what the cost._

_He knew Star would do the same and hoped she'd forgive him for what he was doing._

 

ooOoo

 

**Nyall's Lair – Monday Morning**

_Nyall stared into the mirror with curious eyes, watching as the cub awoke, looking around his nursery with tired eyes. The spell was complete now, as it had been as the full moon shone high in the sky as the witching hour struck earlier that morning._

_All of the boy's memories had been rewritten, so that his life before, his life as a hunter, was gone for good. There of course would be things—people, situations, that he may encounter throughout his new life that would bring about feelings, emotions, related to things that had happened before, but they would be so small, fleeting, that they would mean nothing to him._

_He would live and grow as a normal, powerless human and eventually, die the same way. No longer would he pose a threat to the grand design, no longer would he pose a threat to the Jhora._

_As the cub's keepers entered the nursery, Nyall waved his hand and the mirror returned to it's dormant state. Satisfied, he turned, heading up the stairs and out of the basement. He had a number of months to prepare for the next name on his list and it would be a troublesome period indeed. The next target was going to be a tad more difficult that his last had been, and he would have to create an entirely new plan in order to lure them where he needed them to be._

_Luckily, he knew **exactly** where to begin._

 

ooOoo

 

**Base - Boulder, Colorado – Monday Afternoon**

_When Star finally awoke, she rolled off of the couch, landing quite painfully on the tile floor. As she stood, she immediately went in search of coffee. Eyes closed, she maneuvered her way around the furniture in the main room, following her nose to the kitchen and managing to only walk into one wall before making it inside._

_“Good morning, or, afternoon rather.” Danny's voice greeted her. “Fixed your cup—cream, sugar, and hazelnut already mixed in.” She slowly cracked open an eye, plopping down across from him at the kitchen table and taking hold of the large mug with both hands._

_“Mmm...” Star took a huge swig of the still steaming drink, an action that even after two years caused Danny to wince. “Perfect.” She took a deep breath, swallowing down the remainder of the mug before setting it down and sitting back with a sigh. “So, what's the verdict?”_

_Right to the point, of course. Danny hadn't expected anything else. “Well, it wasn't Elliot's blood.” At that, she perked up, staring at Donny with expectant eyes. “The creature... it...” He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. “Star, it's a Jhora.”_

_Her brow furrowed in confusion as she worked over the name. It was familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly why. “Jhora? Jhora... Jhora.... wait.. wait a minute, you mean those things-- damnit, I remember my mom telling me about them-- they're like genies, right?”_

_“They're a subspecies, like Djinn.” Donny nodded. “They're very powerful magick users that feed off the magick of the Earth, so t--”_

_“So I can kill them, right?” Star cut him off, almost bouncing in her seat. She was getting excited now. “That's fucking awesome! All I need is the right spell—I'm sure I have one around here somewhere, and a few po--”_

_“Star.” Donny's less than happy tone immediately sucked the excitement out of her and she sat still. “They **feed** off of the type of magick that you use.” It took a second, but realization flashed across her face and she groaned loudly, slumping in her chair. “The magick that they **use** is something else-- I don't know what.”_

_She huffed, “So, genies, pretty much, right? Okay, so what are they doing to everyone? Genies don't normally care too much for humans, and kidnapping massive amounts of people doesn't seem like a very good 'destroy the world plan'.”_

_“Let me explain this a little better...” Donny sipped his own coffee. “Genies, first off-- they grant wishes. Djinn create alternate realities to traps their victims in while they feed off of them.” Star nodded. “Okay, Jhora are kind of a combination... say you wished that you... were born male instead. Poof, you're a guy now. While nothing other than that may seem different to you, the entire world is. By changing your past, you've changed your world, creating a sort of... parallel, or alternate, universe. The world where you were born female still exists, but you're no longer in it.”_

_“Okay, makes sense... so... what do **they** do?”_

_“They're... sort of like keepers of reality.” He figured that was the best way to put it. “They can enter into any possibility, any world or realm that **may** exist, they can get there, even if, technically, it's a world without magick.” He sighed. “I don't have proof of this—it's just my theory, but I think that they're sending hunters into realities where they **aren't** hunters anymore, or where hunters don't exist. I don't know how they're doing it, because having two of the same person in one reality would create a paradox and...” Another sigh. “Look, until we figure out exactly what they're doing and why, I don't want you do go looking for them. This is some heavy shit and if you get taken out of the game, I'm fucked. We're all fucked.”_

_Star nodded, though remained quiet after he finished, processing everything he had said. It was hard to accept, but.. if she tried to save Elliot now, there would be no coming back, probably for either of them. He... he was just lost until they found a way to stop the Jhora for good, a way to kill them before they even had the chance to strike.. but even then, they'd still have to find a way to reverse whatever had been done, and hope to hell that it didn't have lasting consequences._

_This... this was going to be a hell of a lot harder than she'd hoped it would be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, it's been a ride. Thanks a lot for reading, everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Now, as of this moment, I don't have any plans for a sequel, but you never know what'll happen. I have a few ideas of where I would go with it if I chose to do a sequel, so we'll just have to wait and see!
> 
> Until next time, lovelies!


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